The 2024 season hasn’t gone how Aaron Rodgers or the Jets would have appreciated it.
With seven video games remaining, the Jets are 3-7 and have misplaced six of their final seven video games.
Regardless of that, Rodgers says he hasn’t modified his thoughts about enjoying in 2025.
“Yes, I think so,” Rodgers mentioned on Wednesday.
Rodgers, 40, has one 12 months left on his contract, with a wage cap of $23.5 million. After a disappointing season, would the Jets need to run it again with Rodgers?
This season has been a nightmare for Gang Inexperienced. They started the 12 months with Tremendous Bowl aspirations after Rodgers returned from the season-ending Achilles tear he suffered a 12 months earlier, however that hope has not translated into victories.
Due to that, Jets proprietor Woody Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh and made defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich interim coach on Oct. 8 following a 2-3 begin to the season. Ulbrich then demoted offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and made passing sport coordinator Todd Downing the offensive play-caller.
Gang Inexperienced even acquired Rodgers’ buddy from Inexperienced Bay, Davante Adams, in a commerce with the Raiders. However the workforce has continued to battle.
Since Ulbrich has taken over, the Jets have misplaced 4 of 5 video games and are tied for final place within the AFC East. Nonetheless, they’re solely two video games out of the seventh and last Wild Card spot.
“You kind of just see the moves you make and you know where we were at and you think that we’re you’re making the right things to take that next step,” Jets large receiver Garrett Wilson mentioned. “So we had hype right here as a result of we thought we had put within the work. We thought we had stuffed all our holes.
“I’d say that’s extra to the skin world the place they let that play into it. On the finish of the day, I may say what I would like, however we’re what we’re and we’re 3-7. So it doesn’t matter.
“I don’t look at this as a losing team, whatever it may be, but the reality is that’s what we put on field film.”
Rodgers definitely has performed a job within the Jets’ offensive struggles. In 10 video games, Rodgers has thrown for two,258 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.
The Jets have additionally one of many worst offenses within the league, rating twenty sixth in yards (298.5) and factors scored per sport (17.7).
Out of the qualifying quarterbacks, Rodgers is twenty fourth in whole quarterback score (52), sandwiched between ex-Jet and present Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Rodgers has made 33 consecutive begins with out throwing for not less than 300 yards, which dates again to his time in Inexperienced Bay. Over the past 20 years, solely ex-Jaguars quarterback David Garrard (39 from 2005-08) and former 49ers and Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith 35 from 2005-09 had extra extended droughts, in line with The Related Press.
With the Jets prone to have a brand new head coach subsequent season, they may determine to chop bait with Rodgers, however that may be costly. If Gang Inexperienced outright releases Rodgers, they may have round $100 million in lifeless cash on the books, in line with Over the Cap. Even when Rodgers does retire, the Jets would have $49 million of lifeless cash on the books.
The largest drawback with eliminating Rodgers can be who the quarterback can be transferring ahead. If the season ended as we speak, the Jets would choose eighth within the 2025 NFL Draft, doubtless placing them out of play for Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward.
At present, the Jets have 44 gamers below contract and releasing Rodgers would restrict the wage cap house the workforce would have in free company. To not point out, the Jets may doubtlessly be in rebuild mode and be beginning over once more.
“I’m not playing as well as I would have liked to play, for sure,” Rodgers mentioned. “The beauty in this game is it’s a team game. The frustrating part is if you’re a great competitor, you hold yourself to a standard and it’s not unrealistic and I haven’t, I haven’t reached that standard this year.”
The Jets acquired Rodgers in a commerce with the Packers in April 2023. He missed all however 4 performs of his first season with the workforce after tearing his Achilles, and the workforce completed 7-10 and missed the playoffs for the thirteenth consecutive season.
Gang Inexperienced is on the verge of doing that once more until they will go on a magical run in the course of the season’s final two months. Nonetheless, Rodgers mentioned he has had enjoyable the earlier two years regardless of all of the adversity.
“You know, it’s been it’s been actually a really beautiful couple of years for me in in totality,” Rodgers mentioned. “But it’s obviously been frustrating with the football part.”