Aaron Rodgers's time with the New York Jets has come to an end and what a ride it was. His two seasons in the Big Apple were largely a waste and one tweet summed that up perfectly.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell unleashed this beauty showing what the Jets had to do to acquire and keep Rodgers happy.
Two second-round picks
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 13, 2025
$75 million
The contracts for Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Tim Boyle
Another third-round pick and $11.6 million for Davante Adams
A year-plus with Nathaniel Hackett as OC
Five wins. https://t.co/n4HzrwUwzh
Rodgers played in one series during his first season with the Jets in 2023 before tearing his Achilles tendon during his debut with the team. He played in all 17 games during the 2024 campaign, completing 63.0% of his passes for 3,897 yards, with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His passer rating of 90.5 was a career-low for a full season and his QBR (48.0) was one of the lowest in his career as well.
On April 23, 2003, the Jets sent the 13th, 42nd and 207th picks in the 2023 NFL draft, plus what would become a second-rounder, to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Rodgers, the 15th and 170th picks in the draft. Essentially, the Jets dropped two places in the 2023 first round, then gave up two second-rounders to land the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
When acquiring Rodgers, the Jets were set to take on the two years and $110 million he had left on his existing contract. In July of 2023, the two sides restructured the deal, converting it to a two-year, $75 million deal, with Rodgers surrendering $35 million from his original contract. The new pact was fully guaranteed.
On top of that, the Jets signed several former Rodgers teammates in wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb and backup quarterback Tim Boyle. Then, in October of 2024, the Jets also sent a 2025 third-round pick to acquire receiver Davante Adams and reunite him with Rodgers. The 32-year-old wideout had $11.25 million left on his contract when New York acquired him.
As if that wasn't enough, the Jets also hired Nathaniel Hackett in January of 2023 in a move that was largely seen as a way to entice Rodgers to pick New York as his next destination. Things were so bad under Hackett that he lost his play-calling duties during the 2024 season.
On top of all that, the Jets will face a $49 million dead cap hit for releasing Rodgers, but they could mitigate that by cutting him after June 1.
In the two seasons after landing Rodgers, the Jets went 11-23, including 5-12 during the 2024 season. Despite all those moves, head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were both fired during the 2024 campaign.
It's fair to say, all that maneuvering to get Rodgers and keep him happy were a total waste.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Rodgers’s Disastrous Time With Jets Perfectly Summed Up in One Brutal Tweet.
