He lives, he breathes, and now, he finally speaks. For haters of Aaron Rodgers, the “speaking” part is something they could do without, but that does not matter as it relates to the New York Jets‘ future—which is exactly what the man spoke about on Thursday.
Rodgers, 41, joined “The Pat McAfee Show” for the first time since the Jets season concluded, and he sort of put a dent in some of the previous reports that claimed he was an undoubted goner (on the first plane ride out of Florham Park, NJ).
“I think everybody understands that it’s going to come down to a GM and a coach and myself and whether we all want to do a dance together or if it’s not in the cards,” Rodgers said on Thursday.
At this point, everybody knows Rodgers and the 2024 Jets’ story. Despite coming into the season with incredible hype, the Jets disappointed fans in spectacular fashion, finishing with a horrendous 5-12 record.
Fans and media pundits criticized Rodgers to the moon, which is hardly surprising. Not only is the man a polarizing media figure, much of which is sparked by his own doing, but he plays quarterback, the position that will always garner the most praise or greatest criticism based on team results.
It’s why what was said in the team’s exit meetings remains something of great intrigue. For Rodgers, specifically, it appears like his two exit meetings—one with Jets chairman Woody Johnson and the other with vice-chairman Christopher Johnson and president Hymie Elhai—were extremely productive.
Per the Christopher and Hymie meeting, Rodgers made it sound like he provided meaningful input into what the Jets could be doing better.
“I was impressed to see that the meeting with Christopher and Hymie was a lot about that,” Rodgers told McAfee. “The meeting [with] Woody was more about team future, different things [like that].”
Much speculation has surrounded the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s future. He agreed to come to New York with Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh at the helm. Now that they’re both gone, Woody seeks the organization’s next football leaders.
Many people would like to know how this factors into Rodgers’s future, yet it remains a great unknown.
Rodgers, who threw for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns in 17 games this past season, doesn’t sound like a man who’s ready to retire. The fact that he told the world he had met with Woody Johnson already and that it would ultimately come down to the new regime should be viewed as a positive sign for the pro-Rodgers fans.
Plus, Woody has already stated that Rodgers’s future will be left in the hands of the new regime, which is another interesting piece of news and confirms Rodgers’s words on Thursday.
The two unofficial front-runners for the New York Jets head coaching gig are Detroit Lions defensive coordinator (and former Jets cornerback) Aaron Glenn and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
