When the Packers drafted Jordan Love within the first spherical of the 2020 NFL Draft, Aaron Rodgers was exasperated, as detailed in his docuseries “Enigma,” which premiered Tuesday on Netflix.
“I seemed down at my telephone and my agent simply texted me, ‘Quarterback.’ And I used to be like, ‘No f–king way,’” Rodgers said. “Then the pick happens, and I immediately got off the couch and was super non-reactive. And I just went to pour myself some tequila and went back to the couch and knew there was going to be some interesting conversations.”
On Wednesday, Rodgers was asked if the Jets drafted his eventual replacement, how would the four-time NFL MVP handle that situation?
“A lot of the play is about performance,” Rodgers said. “When they drafted Jordan, I felt like I was one bad stretch away from being benched and I won MVP a couple of years.
“You gotta prove it every single week through stretches. If they asked me back and they drafted a guy, I would mentor the hell out of him if I was playing. And I would try to play as well as I could to keep him on the bench.”
Owner Woody Johnson and the new general manager and coach will ultimately decide whether Rodgers returns to the Jets in 2025. Johnson fired coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 after a 2-3 start and fired general manager Joe Douglas on Nov. 19, in the final year of his six-year contract.
After Rodgers returned from his Achilles tear, many expected the Jets to play meaningful games from late December into January. They were the favorites to win the AFC East, and many pundits believed the Jets could possibly be Super Bowl contenders.
At 4-10 with three games remaining, obviously, that won’t occur after being eradicated from playoff rivalry following a Week 14 loss to Miami. In the course of the first month of the season, Rodgers handled a hamstring, a knee, and ankle accidents that restricted his mobility. That, in flip, affected his accuracy on the sector, and Rodgers couldn’t scramble across the pocket and purchase time for his receivers to get open down the sector.
After the Jets’ Week 4 loss to the Broncos, Johnson advised to the teaching workers that Rodgers be benched, in line with sources.
“It is hard for me to look back on that now,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich stated about probably rethinking the choice to bench Rodgers. “Because at the time he is such an elite competitor that it is like what he doesn’t get credit for enough is for his obligation and his dedication to his teammates and he wants to be out there and at the end of the day, he thinks he is the guy who can win the game for us, so saying that, he is a hard guy to sit, he really is.”
However throughout the next 4 weeks since their Week 12 bye, Rodgers has been off the Jets’ damage report and has performed considerably higher. In his final three video games since coming off the damage report, Rodgers has handed for 813 yards, six touchdowns with just one interception. Within the prior 11 video games, Rodgers handed for two,442 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.
In hindsight, Rodgers nonetheless stands by taking part in by his accidents.
“It is a what-if game, and I don’t get into a lot of that,” he stated. “I felt like I was healthy enough to play, so I played.
“That was kind of the end of the conversation there. There were games where I was more hampered and games where I felt a little bit better. Obviously, I felt a lot better the last couple of weeks.”
With the Jets taking part in out the ultimate stretch of a disappointing season wherein their playoff drought has prolonged to 14 consecutive seasons, Johnson has already begun to show the web page towards subsequent season. Final month, Johnson employed The thirty third Crew to assist discover candidates for each the vacant common supervisor and training positions.
With a brand new regime coming to the Jets, Rodgers’ future with the workforce stays cloudy. Gang Inexperienced doesn’t owe Rodgers any extra assured cash after this season.
The Jets would owe Rodgers a $35 million roster bonus that should be exercised earlier than the beginning of the 2025 common season if he stays on the workforce. So, if they need, the Jets can get out of his contract and begin recent with a brand new starter.
Rodgers informed reporters he can be open to discussing a potential contract adjustment if the Jets got here to him in regards to the thought.
However the quarterback free agent market in 2025 isn’t nice exterior of ex-Jet and present Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. Pittsburgh’s Justin Fields, Cleveland’s Jameis Winston, Indianapolis’ Joe Flacco, and New England’s Jacoby Brissett are among the many quarterbacks who will likely be free brokers subsequent offseason.
The 2025 NFL Draft class additionally lacks depth at quarterback. Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are anticipated to be the primary two quarterbacks chosen in April’s draft. The Jets presently sit eighth within the draft order, in line with Tankathon, which means they’d possible be out of the Ward and Sanders sweepstakes.
That would go away the Jets with potential quarterback draft choices corresponding to Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, or Georgia’s Carson Beck. Rodgers has repeatedly stated that remaining with the Jets can be his first possibility if he desires to proceed taking part in.
“There’s a lot of reasons this would be a great opportunity, but we will see what happens,” Rodgers stated. “A lot of things that can happen.
“They gotta hire a GM, gotta hire a coach. Whether or not I’m part of the conversation or whether or not I’m going to move on. Whatever happens, I will be taking my time and thinking about my future.”
