After only two seasons, the hype fell to heartbreak as the Jets decided to “move in a different direction” this season with another quarterback.
I guess it’s that time of year … Valentine’s Day is over, and breakup season is upon us. I just didn’t think heartbreak would look like this. The New York Jets have decided to break up with Aaron Rodgers before the 2025 season begins, an emotional time for us all.
How did we get to this point? What was done wrong? Who’s at fault? Let’s take a step back and analyze this situation before we start repeatedly listening to Olivia Rodrigo at full blast.
The Toxic Ex
We all have one. No matter what we do, we can’t shake the fact that they were once our world, our team. For Rodgers, this is of course the Green Bay Packers. Chosen in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, he started as the backup quarterback to Brett Favre. After three long seasons of being strung along and only playing seven games, in 2008 he was allowed to prove himself. Favre had a falling out with the Packers’ management, leaving room for Rodgers to make a move. Rodgers quickly took on the quarterback role and made for quite a good replacement in the Packers’ eyes. In the 2008 season, he passed for 4,038 yards and made 28 touchdowns.
The Packers liked what they saw, so Rodgers signed a six-year, $65 million contract extension after the season. He continued to give his all in this relationship. In the 2009 season, he threw for 4,434 yards, made 30 touchdowns and led the Packers to an 11-5 record. This also made him the only NFL player to post consecutive 4,000-yard passing campaigns in the first two years as a starter. During the 2009 season, he recorded a 103.2 passer rating, ranking him second-best in franchise history.
In their next year together, 2010, Rodgers helped the Packers in their pursuit of a Super Bowl. He led them to a 10-6 regular season record and in the postseason, he led the team to victories over the top three seeds in the NFC. In the Super Bowl, he completed 24 of 39 pass attempts and 3 touchdowns without interceptions to win the championship and earn him the title of the game's Most Valuable Player.
Following the championship title 2011, Rodgers had one of the best quarterback seasons. He led the Packers to a franchise-best regular season 13-0 start. He completed 45 touchdowns, and 4,643 passing yards and set an NFL-record 122.5 passer rating to win the NFL MVP award.
In 2012, he led the NFL in passer ratings with 108.0 and subsequently led the Packers to a division title. In 2013, Rodgers missed seven games due to a collarbone injury but bounced back the following year with 38 touchdowns, 4,381 passing yards and another NFL MVP award. The next season, the Packers were led by Rodgers to a franchise-best seventh consecutive playoff appearance. In 2016, he led the NFL with 40 touchdowns and finished the season with six straight wins and a division title win.
Another unfortunate collarbone injury limited Rodgers’ playing to seven games in the 2017 season and the Packers lost their eight-year playoff game streak. In 2018, he came back throwing 25 touchdowns but followed that season with 26 touchdowns and 4,002 passing yards in 2019. That year marked the start of a three consecutive 13-win campaign for the team, led by Rodgers. In 2020 and 2021, the Packers captured the top seed in the NFC playoffs and Rodgers reclaimed the best quarterback in the NFL title for those three years. In 2020, he made 48 touchdowns and 4,299 passing yards to win another NFL MVP award.
It was all bliss until it wasn’t. After another MVP honor in 2021, Rodgers saw a disappointing future between him and the Packers. After avoiding the red flags from Favre’s downfall with the team’s management, the flags began to appear in 2022. As the Packers rounded up the 2022 season sitting 8-9, Rodgers began speaking up about his communication problems with the Packers management. It’s always communication that goes first, isn’t it?
After a year of poor communication between the Packers and Rodgers, in February 2023 Rodgers finally came forward to address the situation. “I have very limited cell services so if you want to get ahold of me, I have to see your face,” Rodgers said in an interview following rumors of him leaving the Packers. “If there was a change that wanted to be made, why wasn’t that told to me earlier in the offseason?”
Communication is key; and we all know that when you lose it, you lose the relationship.
The Rebound
Once Rodgers got over the tragic breakup with the Packers, he found himself running into the arms of the New York Jets, who surprisingly also accepted Brett Favre after his time with Green Bay. Just before the 2023 season, Rodgers received a trade to the Jets but received a pay cut with his reworked contract. During Week 1 of the 2023 season, Rodgers injured his left ankle and suffered an Achilles injury as diagnosed the next day. What the Jets expected to receive when signing Aaron Rodgers vs what they ended up with, a quarterback out for the entire season due to injury, is something we can all relate to when it comes to rebounds: disappointment.
Following that unforeseen first season with the Jets, Rodgers suited back up and came out as if he’d never left. By Week 5, he became the 9th quarterback in the NFL to pass for 60,000 yards. Just before Week 6, Jets’ head coach Robert Saleh was fired and rumours spread that it had to do with disagreements with Rodgers, though Rodgers denied these accusations, it would show a pattern between Rodgers and his team’s management. By Week 9, the Jets had a five-game losing streak. Rodgers helped them snap out of it and win against the Houston Texans, throwing 179 yards with 3 touchdowns. In Week 11, Rodgers helped the Jets to a season-high in points.
During the bye week, it was revealed that Rodgers had been playing through hamstring, knee and ankle injuries. Despite this revelation, Rodgers recorded his first 300-yard passing game in three years in Week 14 but the Jets fell short of the playoffs. On Jan. 5, 2025, Rodgers completed his 500th touchdown pass marking him as the fifth quarterback in NFL history to record 500 touchdown passes. During his last game of the season, he threw for 274 yards and a season-high of 4 touchdown passes.
Now I’m not sure how long the Jets had planned to let go of Rodgers, but it was officially announced by the team on Feb. 13, 2025, that they were going to part ways with him. I’m sure we’ve all had our fair share of breakups and doesn’t it always seem like they start to get better right as the decision is made? Well, unfortunately for the Jets, Rodgers ended his year on a high and left some questioning their decision.
“We met with Aaron and shared that our intention was to move in a different direction at quarterback, " said Jets’ head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey. “It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures.”
Ouch, I’ve heard something like that one before.
Rodgers is 41 years old and recently returned from an Achilles injury and multiple others, which he decided not to disclose. He started in 17 games last season and threw 3,897 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, which tied the best single-season totals in franchise history.
So why now? Well, as I said, some are questioning this decision because of the timing of things. But can we assume bad intentions? Some people don’t plan their breakups. One plausible reason: the Jets’ have a new head coach, new general manager, new offensive coordinator and a variety of new coaching staff, this could be another new addition to the team.
The New Fling
Okay, I know that may sound harsh, but what else can we call it? Rodgers is 41 years old and we don’t know how long he’s got until he retires. Nevertheless, his performance on the field does not shy away from the Aaron Rodgers we once knew. I think it’s safe to say, he’s got options moving forward.
But who are these options? And have they shown interest back? Well, Rodgers' standards are low: “If they want you,” he told TMZ Sports, “and they got a good team.” You heard it here, the two criteria that must be met to win over Aaron Rodgers. But since he won’t be traded into a team like his last transition from the Packers to the Jets, speculation of his retirement has been floating around the media. But I don’t buy it, he’s not done with the NFL just yet and there’s one more “fling” to be had before he retires.
The main teams circulating right now are the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Neither the 49ers nor the Titans are currently seeking a quarterback. The 49ers have Brock Purdy, and while they have yet to give him a long-term contract, the chances of Rodgers swooping in and taking over as a starter are low. The Titans are simply not in the position to make a postseason decision at the moment.
Keeping with his Midwest roots, the Giants, Vikings or Steelers could make for a short trip. The Giants are in a similar position as the Titans, but the Vikings could switch to Rodgers. They currently have a starting quarterback: Sam Darnold from the 2024 season and J.J. McCarthy, whom they’ve debated on this season. Therefore, they seem pretty set for 2025.
Regardless, the Steelers seem to be favored for Rodgers’ next team. After expectations grew for Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to be released from free agency, Pittsburgh could be looking to reshape their quarterbacking.
But honestly, who knows, we may see a dramatic rebound, a one-season fling or a long-term commitment. The way Rodgers is playing, we’ve received mixed messages from football fans, some include:
“Good move for the Jets, Rodgers is too old”
“Surprising, thought he could have been used to train the rookies”
“The Jets should have at least tried to trade or value him instead of nothing”
“The Jets need to find someone to be the face of their team and Rodgers is not that”
“The Jets made a mistake, Rodger’s could only do so much in an organization like that”
Courtesy of an Instagram poll on my Instagram, @laurengervais_
My thoughts? He’s got a couple more years, and if the Steelers are prepared to leap, I think he’s ready to commit again.
Important dates to note moving forward to keep up with the drama (news):
March 10-12: Negotiation Period from 12:00 pm EST Mar. 10 to 3:59 pm EST March 12 all clubs are permitted to enter into contract negotiations with players to become Unrestricted Free Agents
March 12: League Year and Free Agency signing period begins at 4:00 pm EST
March 12: Trading Period begins at 12:00 pm EST
April 18: Deadline for Restricted Free Agents to sign Office Sheets
April 24-26: NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Looking forward to continuing to relate to Arod’s breakups and future relationships. Maybe there’s something we can take away from his time in the NFL aside from his impeccable quarterback abilities: keep the communication strong and your standards low … although I think that last part should only apply in this situation!
Edited by Madison Roost
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