Any New York Jets fan expecting some clarity on the Aaron Rodgers decision earlier this month, well, you came away from Tuesday’s press conference bitterly disappointed.
Speaking to the media for the first time since their introductory presser in Florham Park, NJ, head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey provided next-to-nothing on their decision to move on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
More importantly, Mougey “got ahead” of the Rodgers stuff by raising the topic himself while standing at the NFL Scouting Combine podium.
“I just want to address the Aaron Rodgers stuff, get ahead of that,” Mougey said from the NFL combine. “I’m not going to discuss any private discussions that I had with Aaron throughout this process and really with any private discussion that I’ve had with any player for that matter. I’m not here to confirm or deny any rumors that happened during that process. I will say this, there was never an ultimatum or rules of engagement for Aaron to potentially join the Jets again, that never happened.
“AG and I had a lot of dialogue, a lot of conversations to get thoughts and just thought at the end of the day it was the best thing for the Jets moving forward just going in a different direction with the quarterback position. A lot of respect for Aaron Rodgers as a player and as a person. First-ballot Hall of Famer and wish him nothing but the best, but that was the decision that we made, and we look forward to moving past that and into this next process with free agency and the draft.”
Basically, neither Mougey nor Glenn provided a concrete reason for why they made the decision to part ways.
Rodgers, 41, is obviously an older player, and keeping him around would equate to much more of a financial risk. Cutting ties is also expensive, as the Jets are now on the hook for $49 million dead cap space—which is expected to be split up via a post-June 1 cut designation ($14 million this year and $35 million in 2026).
Living in a Rodgers-less world has some Jets fans concerned that the team would be “rebuilding” or “tanking,” but as Jets X-Factor explained recently, there’s no chance the Bill Parcells discipline would ever design a season for initial failure.
“Every decision that me and Mougey make is to win, and win now,” Glenn assured the public.
Fans weren’t the only ones concerned. Quinnen Williams also expressed immediate dismay over the decision, believing he was destined for another “rebuild.”
In Glenn’s world, that stuff remains in-house, and they speak about it as “men.”
“This isn’t going to be the last decision I make that will upset some people, and that’s okay,” Glenn added, referring to the Rodgers move. “As men, we talk about it. We make sure we keep it in-house and continue to do.”
The New York Jets brass is currently in Indianapolis to get an up-close look at the 2025 NFL draft player pool. They’re slated to select No. 7 overall in Round 1.
