There has been much speculation about whether Aaron Rodgers will remain with the Jets after the 2024 season.
If his last couple of games are any indication, the four-time NFL MVP is making an excellent case for why he should remain Gang Green’s signal-caller in 2025.
When asked if he’d be surprised if Rodgers doesn’t play next season, Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich believes the 20-year veteran still has something left in his tank.
“After seeing him run around the last couple of weeks and getting his mobility back and getting his health back, every part of me is like, ‘this guy got a couple of years at the very least in him,’” Ulbrich said. “It is going to be a conversation between him and him.
“If he maintains good health, he’s a guy that I would love to see play longer just cause he’s such a special player.”
In Sunday’s 32-25 victory against the Jaguars, Rodgers completed 16-of-30 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. A week prior, during the Jets’ overtime loss to the Dolphins, Rodgers recorded his first 300-yard game since 2021. He finished 27-of-39 for 339 yards and a touchdown.
During the first 11 weeks of the Jets season, Rodgers and the offense struggled to score 20 points in many games. Gang Green averaged 18.8 points per game and was one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
But the Jets have averaged 29 points per game during the last two weeks. In addition, Rodgers has thrown four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Also, after not being listed on the injury report for the previous three weeks, Rodgers’ mobility has returned after battling knee, hamstring, and ankle injuries.
On Sunday, Rodgers led the Jets in rushing with 45 yards. In the previous 13 weeks, Rodgers recorded just 49 yards combined.
Unlike at the beginning of the season, Rodgers, 41, has been sliding around the pocket, giving his receivers more time to get open down the field. He has also used his legs to help push the ball down the field to wide receivers Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson, much like he did during his prime with the Packers.
Depending on how the season’s final three weeks go, the Jets may have to consider keeping Rodgers for 2025. Ultimately, Jets owner Woody Johnson and the new general manager and coach will make that decision jointly.
However, when asked two weeks ago whether he needed to audition to keep his job during the season’s final games, Rodgers responded bluntly.
“That is ridiculous, with all due respect,” Rodgers said. “If they want me to stay, fantastic. If it takes these five games, maybe they don’t know what I bring to the table. That being said, I’d love to play really friggin well.”
Rodgers’s contract has zero guaranteed money remaining past this season. However, if the Jets release Rodgers, they would inherit a $49 million cap hit. Rodgers could also retire, but the Jets would still be responsible for the same salary cap hit.
Earlier this month, Rodgers was considered a long shot to remain with the Jets after this season, according to NFL Network. But if the Jets were to finish 6-11 or 7-10 and Rodgers and Adams continue to play well, that could change the tone inside the team’s facility.
To end the season, the Jets have two challenging games against the Rams and on the road against the Bills, who appear to be the best team in football. Then Gang Green will host Miami in the season finale.
There won’t be many free-agent options for the Jets’ new general manager and coach. Vikings quarterback and former Jets first-round pick Sam Darnold will likely be the best option, but a return to Florham Park doesn’t seem likely.
Other quarterback free agent options include Steelers’ Justin Fields, Browns’ Jameis Winston, Jaguars’ Mac Jones, and Colts’ Joe Flacco, who played three seasons with the Jets.
The draft options for quarterbacks aren’t great either outside Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, who are expected to be the first quarterbacks taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Penn State’s Drew Allar and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier have already announced they will return for their senior seasons.
If the 2025 NFL Draft were held today, the Jets would select eighth, according to Tankathon, putting them out of range for Ward and Sanders. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is trending towards entering the 2025 NFL Draft, according to 247Sports, which could possibly make him the third quarterback selected. However, Milroe isn’t projected to be a top 10 at this moment.
As Rodgers said during his post-game press conference on Sunday, it’s “too little, too late” for the Jets after they had Super Bowl aspirations to start the season. However, whether with the Jets or elsewhere, Rodgers will audition for a starting job in 2025 during the season’s final three weeks.
“Aaron is one of the best to ever do it, the best to ever do it,” Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas said. “It’s so cool to be his teammate. It’s so cool to watch him do what he does at the age that he is and how long he has been doing it, 20 years in the league, and he is still out there making plays the way that he is.
“Whether it’s him rushing yesterday on game-winning drives or out there slinging the ball like he’s young, it is really cool to watch. I wouldn’t be surprised if Aaron is done because he really has nothing left to prove, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Aaron wants to keep playing because he definitely has it.
“However he does and however he finishes, he will probably be the best to ever do it. And that’s really cool and he has earned that.”