It appears the Aaron Rodgers era has come to an end in Florham Park.
According to FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, the New York Jets met with Rodgers in New Jersey last week to discuss his future with the team. Rodgers was told that the Jets are moving on from him, per Glazer’s report.
In all likelihood, Rodgers will be released with a post-June 1 designation, which means the Jets will push a $35 million cap hit into 2026 while eating a $14 million cap hit in 2025. Comparatively, if the Jets keep Rodgers, he would have a $23.5 million cap hit in 2025 and a $63 million cap hit in 2026. Most likely, a pay cut would have to be reached for Rodgers to remain in New York.
Releasing Rodgers would leave the Jets with three quarterbacks on their roster: Tyrod Taylor, Jordan Travis, and Adrian Martinez. Taylor is on the second year of his two-year, $12 million contract with New York, set to have a $6.8 million cap hit this year. Travis was drafted by New York in the fifth round of the 2024 draft and missed the entire season due to his continued recovery from a leg injury he suffered in college. Martinez spent much of the 2024 season on New York’s practice squad.
If the Jets do part ways with Rodgers, it ends a wildly disappointing tenure for the four-time MVP quarterback. Much of it was not his fault. An unfortunate Achilles injury ended his 2023 season before it could truly begin. The Jets also experienced massive declines on defense and special teams after he returned in 2024.
However, once he reached the field, Rodgers was not the quarterback New York thought it was getting. Despite somewhat impressive box-score totals by the Jets’ lowly standards, Rodgers’ efficiency metrics reveal that he indeed played a large role in the Jets’ 5-win nightmare of a season. Among 32 qualified quarterbacks, Rodgers ranked 25th in QBR (48.1), 20th in passer rating (90.1), 26th in yards per attempt (6.7), 30th in completion percentage over expected (-2.6%, per RBSDM), and 19th in EPA per play (0.08, per RBSDM).
By way of throwing the second-most pass attempts in the NFL (584), Rodgers was able to reach a respectable total of 28 passing touchdowns, tying him for seventh-most in the NFL, but the underlying efficiency metrics tell a truer story about the season he had.
It appears that head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey have opted for a fresh start at the quarterback position. The decision gives New York long-term cap relief and a clean slate from a cultural perspective.
The next step for the Jets’ new regime is to find a long-term solution at quarterback. If they cannot find him this year, they must decide who the stopgap will be in 2025. In that case, the challenge will be finding a better option than Rodgers, who, for all of his faults, is still arguably a better player than most (if not all) of the free agents set to hit the market this year.
Taylor’s track record of production makes him an appealing fit for the stopgap role if the Jets do not find a more established solution. In recent years, his numbers are on par with those of Rodgers. Since 2022, Taylor has a 93.7 passer rating while averaging 7.2 yards per attempt, compared to Rodgers’ 90.7 passer rating and 6.7 yards per attempt over the same span. The sample size is vastly different in Rodgers’ favor, of course, but it’s worth noting.
However, Taylor has been consistently injured throughout his career. With another injury-riddled quarterback behind him in Travis, it would be extremely risky to roll with Taylor as the lone experienced quarterback on the roster entering 2025. The Jets would likely have to find another insurance policy to accompany Taylor in the room; otherwise, it would appear as if they are punting on their chances of competing in the 2025 season.
What happens next remains a mystery, but it appears we finally have clarity on the Aaron Rodgers of it all.
