When Aaron Rodgers made it his intention to join the New York Jets two years ago, the hope was that the organization would finally end their decade-long playoff drought at the very least.
That didn’t end up happening.
Rodgers played a full season just once in his two years with New York—and finished with just six wins as a starting quarterback for the Jets. Because of the failings that came with his arrival, New York made sweeping changes to their front office and coaching staff.
Now, Rodgers and the Jets have parted ways, and the four-time NFL MVP has found a new team to play for.
The former Super Bowl champion and game MVP visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers Friday morning, as first reported by Garry Dulac of KDKA in the Steel City. Dulac says the visit is an “indication a deal with the team could be forthcoming.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter made clear later on that no deal was close as of this moment.
This is Rodgers’ first confirmed visit known with another team this offseason. The Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants were two other teams said to have exhibited intrigue in the 41-year-old quarterback.
Recent reports have stated the Vikings will move forward with former first-round quarterback J.J. McCarthy instead of going after Rodgers, though. That left the Steelers and Giants jockeying for the services of the future Hall-of-Famer.
Rodgers threw 28 touchdown passes last season with the Jets with 11 interceptions. He completed a respectable 63% of his passes but had one of the worst analytical seasons of his career. New York’s passing offense finished 24th in the league and struggled to create big players over the course of the year.
Along the way, New York was ravaged by anonymous sources inside the locker room and frustration from many young players, including former Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson.
It’s safe to say Rodgers is looking to get back to his old elite self with a team like the Steelers.
Pittsburgh lost to Rodgers when he was with the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. It is the quarterback’s lone appearance in the big game to this point in his career.
The California native turns 42 years old next season. With the twilight of his career on the way, it appears Rodgers is looking for new places to play.
And the Jets most assuredly won’t be one of them.
