Jay Glazer’s Super Bowl report of the New York Jets “moving on” from Aaron Rodgers in early February may have been a formality—and something that had been decided for some time.
Per a source of Bovada’s Josina Anderson, the Jets organization had already decided to move on from Rodgers before the hirings of now-head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey. At the very least, it’s reported the Jets leaned in the direction of moving on at least a week before the new hires.
“A league source did tell me that there was internal talk regarding desires to move on from Aaron Rodgers at least one week before Aaron Glenn even became head coach and Darren Mougey became general manager of the Jets,” Anderson wrote on Monday.
Rodgers, 41, endured a tumultuous two seasons in New York. Despite tremendous optimism heading into both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Rodgers and the Jets finished extremely short of any reasonable projection.
In 2023, after a picturesque Sept. 11 introduction at MetLife Stadium, Rodgers tore his Achilles just four plays into his Jets tenure. This past season, the all-time great mustered the Jets to just five wins.
Although Rodgers’s end-of-season stats look fine—3,897 passing yards and 28 passing touchdowns to 11 interceptions on 63.0% passing—much of it represents hollow categories that did not impact the team positively enough. On the other hand, the pro-Rodgers fan will cite just how impossible the situation was under horrific coaching.
Plus, playing even halfway decent in the initial year back after an Achilles tear is a tremendously worthwhile thought. Then again, the man is 41 years old, and staying course with his 2025 cap hit presents major risks ahead.
Suffice it to say, the level of passion surrounding how the Jets should handle Rodgers this offseason has been supercharged. For many fans, however, ensuring that the new regime would be the decision-maker was of the utmost priority.
Anderson’s latest report suggests that may not have been the case. At the very least, the Jets were leaning in a certain direction before the new hires.
“While the organization allowed candidates to voice their preferences during the interview process for the vacant roles, the truth is that the outcome for Rodgers was likely determined long before these hires were made,” Anderson added. “There’s no need to pretend otherwise.
“And that’s ok.”
Jets chairman Woody Johnson has been a topic of much controversy in the last calendar year—mainly courtesy of multiple reports coming from The Athletic. Although a bulk of the criticism and allegations coming from unnamed sources have been unfair, the reports about him “meddling” have fans concerned.
The idea that he inserted himself so rigorously last offseason has caused some Jets fans to jump off the deep end. This is especially the case since Johnson himself told the media that the new regime would be making the decision on Rodgers.
If, indeed, the New York Jets brass ultimately decided to move on from Aaron Rodgers before hiring the Aaron Glenn-Darren Mougey regime, it’ll be a bitter pill to swallow for a significant chunk of the fanbase.
Remember, however, that this is only one report seemingly comprised of a singular source. Plus, there exists a lot of gray in this extremely black-and-white digital sports media world. Conversations could have been had prior to Glenn’s arrival without making the decision official.
It’s critical to note that Anderson neither bashed Rodgers nor lionized him. In addition to the source revealing that the Jets had already decided to separate from Rodgers, she did include reports of members wholly recognizing him as an asset.
“While I believe there are times that Rodgers contributed to distractions surrounding the team during his previous tenure … it is clear there are members of the Jets who felt Rodgers was also an undeniable asset,” she wrote.
Perhaps more importantly, she acknowledged the overwhelming feeling that teammates loved him.
“He was an outstanding teammate,” Anderson wrote via her source. “I’ve seen him support the guys in many ways. He might’ve been moody sometimes, but I saw him taking notes every meeting. We’re talking about a Hall of Fame quarterback who knows everything about every offense, taking down notes. I know he hand-wrote people Christmas cards, and I heard he paid for some food trucks for guys during lunch.
“So, things like that. I’m telling you: Nobody gave a f**king sh*t that he wasn’t there for mandatory camp. That’s something you media people harp on. We just rolled with Tyrod Taylor,” another source said.
No matter what individuals think and feel about Aaron Rodgers and whether or not the organization made the correct decision, this much is certain: If Aaron Glenn is the real deal, the New York Jets have an exciting future ahead.
