The New York Jets continued to clean house Tuesday by firing general manager Joe Douglas following their seventh loss in eight games Sunday. All signs point toward the Jets undergoing another rebuild, which leaves Aaron Rodgers’s future very much in doubt, too.
It seems likely New York will cut Rodgers and look for another quarterback through the draft and/or free agency—it’s tough imagining the new Jets GM and head coach wanting to work with the hard-to-please Rodgers in his age-42 season.
If Rodgers has the desire to continue his career, he will likely learn in the offseason that not many will listen to his roster demands now that he’s no longer an MVP-caliber quarterback. He’s suddenly Zac Efron’s character in Neighbors 2, who had a hard time adjusting and landing a job in the real world after years spent being a popular frat bro. Rodgers, who has 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, has lost his mobility and ability to extend plays downfield, but he’s still a quality quarterback when he has solid offensive line protection.
The Jets need to break up with Rodgers, but Rodgers might have an easier time convincing the Jets to bring him back for a third season than landing a starting gig elsewhere. Sure, he could start for a few bad teams, but that would be a waste of time for all involved. Rodgers wants to go out on top, and maybe it won’t be winning a Super Bowl like John Elway or Peyton Manning did in their final seasons with the Denver Broncos, but he would probably settle for what Brett Favre had in his first season with the Minnesota Vikings.
And let’s not forget: Many thought Favre was done as a high-level quarterback after a subpar lone season with the Jets in 2008. Favre responded by leading the Vikings to a 10–1 start and a trip to the NFC title game the following season as a middle-aged signal-caller.
Now this is not to say the Vikings should go after Rodgers if the Jets were to cut him (also, that’s not a guarantee because of the $49 million cap hit in dead money New York would take for releasing the future Hall of Famer). Minnesota would be better off re-signing Sam Darnold given how he’s played this season, and it just selected J.J. McCarthy with the 10th pick in this 2024 draft. There’s little to no chance the Vikings go down the Rodgers road.
Here are some other teams that most likely won’t be chasing Rodgers in free agency because they have an established star quarterback or are in the midst of developing a young signal-caller drafted in the first round: Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Washington Commanders, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers, Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars.
That’s 21 teams listed in the no-chance group for potential landing spots for Rodgers. Again, Rodgers would probably be better off convincing the Jets that he could be a solid bridge quarterback to help develop an inexperienced quarterback. He did say he wanted to help Zach Wilson be the future franchise quarterback of the Jets, but Wilson playing for the Broncos now says plenty for why the Jets need to part with the four-time MVP.
Now there are four teams that could be realistic options for Rodgers, even two that could be playoff contenders with him as the starting QB (more on that in a bit.) But just don’t expect teams to roll out a jet to pick up Rodgers at the airport like the Vikings did for Favre in 2009.
There are also six teams that could briefly consider Rodgers because of looming dilemmas with their current starting quarterbacks. But he probably wouldn’t fit into their plans for various reasons.
Rodgers could wait for someone to call him in training camp, but no one called Ryan Tannehill this year. Carson Wentz waited most of the season before the Los Angeles Rams called him last year to be Matthew Stafford’s backup. Matt Ryan refused to retire for a year because he kept waiting for the phone to ring. And does anyone know if Philip Rivers actually retired?
What happened with Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns last year rarely works out so well. And I don’t think Rodgers wants to be the quarterback on the in-case-of-emergency list. He already tried to get his Tom Brady and the Buccaneers moment with the Jets. He already has his Super Bowl ring.
Maybe Rodgers retiring would be the outcome if the Jets were to cut him in the offseason. But just to play along, here are a few teams that could be landing spots for Rodgers.
‘So you’re telling me there’s a chance’ group
Pittsburgh Steelers: The dreadful game Russell Wilson had in Pittsburgh’s 18–16 victory against the Baltimore Ravens is why I wouldn’t rule out coach Mike Tomlin making a run at Rodgers. Even this version of Rodgers probably would have offered more than Wilson did Sunday, when he didn’t produce a touchdown and threw a killer interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
But, again, plenty needs to go right for Rodgers, who turns 41 next month, to utilize the strengths that haven’t diminished due to age. Wilson still has his mobility and enough arm strength to give his playmakers a chance downfield. I have a hard time seeing George Pickens wanting to do everything by the Rodgers book. Sometimes you just need to lob it up and forget about the red line—you know, like Mike Williams catching the game-winning touchdown for the Steelers vs. the Commanders. Also, Wilson’s limitations are easy to overlook when he’s only making $1.2 million for the season. I’m trying to make a case for the Steelers, but even this one is tough to see for Rodgers in 2025.
Seattle Seahawks: Similar to the Steelers, the Seahawks have the roster to quickly compete for the postseason if they were to pursue Rodgers. There’s also an argument to be made that Rodgers can offer more than Geno Smith, who has 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. But the 34-year-old Smith is younger, offers more mobility and can get hot in a hurry.
At this point in his career, can Rodgers do more than just be a rhythm-and-timing quarterback? That’s the question the Seahawks would need to ask themselves because DK Metcalf has benefited from Smith’s knack for pushing the ball downfield. They also don’t have the best offensive line, perhaps hurting the chemistry required for Rodgers to connect with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks might be better off sticking with Smith and taking a glance at the incoming quarterback prospects in the draft.
New York Giants: If coach Brian Daboll is around next season, he won’t have time to waste on a rookie quarterback. Sure, the team can draft one for the future, but Daboll needs immediate wins and could maybe get it from Rodgers. The four-time MVP would get to throw to stud rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson, but the team would need to make upgrades on the offensive line.
My issue here is I’m not sure if the Giants can push for a playoff berth with Rodgers in his age-42 season, despite him being better than what they have now. There would be a sense of urgency to build a better roster if Daboll and GM Joe Schoen are back next season, but we all know what just happened to Robert Saleh and Douglas.
Las Vegas Raiders: Oh, team owner Mark Davis would definitely entertain the idea of Rodgers starting for the Silver and Black in 2025. He’s gotten burned several times trying to repeat history. For example, Davis attempted to copy the “Patriot Way” by hiring Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. He also brought back Jon Gruden hoping he could duplicate the team’s winning ways from the early 2000s.
But Davante Adams would probably tell Rodgers to avoid the Raiders after how poorly it went for the star receiver during his time in Las Vegas. It would be funny, though, hearing Rodgers complain about the lack of weapons with the Raiders knowing that he’s one of the reasons why the Jets twisted their arm to give up Adams in a trade. In all seriousness, the Raiders don’t have much to offer besides rookie tight end Brock Bowers and edge rusher Maxx Crosby. This team needs to avoid the quick fix route and instead focus on how to draft Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.
Teams with looming QB dilemmas yet are poor fits
Los Angeles Rams: Rodgers throwing to Puka Nacua and receiving play calls from Sean McVay would be ideal for the middle-aged quarterback, but it’s clear the Rams are looking to get younger. Every move they’ve made since their dreadful season as defending champions in 2022 has been about building through the draft.
Los Angeles entertained trade offers for wide receiver Cooper Kupp before the Nov. 5 deadline and were unwilling to add more years to Stafford’s current contract. Stafford continues to play at a high level, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the team parts with the 16-year veteran in the offseason. It sounds strange, but Zach Wilson has better odds of starting for the Rams next season than Rodgers. Expect the Rams to get younger at QB because they’ve done it at every other position the past two seasons.
Tennessee Titans: There were reports that Mike Vrabel was fired in Tennessee because he was too difficult to work with. Maybe the front office should have listened more to the coach who got them to a handful of playoff appearances because they haven’t won much this season. The Titans learned the hard way that a change of voice wasn’t all they needed to get back to the postseason.
Rodgers wouldn’t help much even with all the top veteran free agents this team splurged for in the offseason. Also, Rodgers isn’t exactly known for his willingness to collaborate with others. The Titans will probably draft another quarterback after how poorly it went with Will Levis this season.
Indianapolis Colts: Coach Shane Steichen quickly found out how difficult it is to run an offense with a veteran quarterback who can no longer move. Joe Flacco’s ugly back-to-back starts opened the door for Anthony Richardson to redeem himself and did that by punishing Rodgers’s Jets last week. The Colts must be committed to seeing this through with Richardson, the No. 4 pick in last year’s draft.
Then again, this is the same team that’s opted for the quick fix three times since Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement, going after Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan. Rodgers might have more to offer than those quarterbacks did at the time, but the Colts didn’t have a talented, first-round signal-caller as an alternative.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers aren’t close to being a playoff team. There’s really not much else to say. Carolina would probably welcome the idea to have Rodgers as the starter just to sell season tickets, but he’s taken enough hits this season with the Jets. On the other hand, Rodgers is known for spending time in darkness. It doesn’t get any darker than playing in Carolina, as Bryce Young quickly found as the team’s top pick in 2023. This would be a waste of time for all parties.
Cleveland Browns: Rodgers playing with coach Kevin Stefanski would be fascinating to watch. But we can’t assume every veteran QB would do well with Stefanski just because of Flacco’s epic five-game run with Cleveland last season. The Browns were lucky to get the scorching-hot version of Flacco to make the postseason, but they also learned in the wild-card loss to the Texans how ugly the lows get over the course of a season. And there’s the whole mess with Deshaun Watson. The team may have to play him again due to the guarantees and potential dead money in perhaps the worst contract in NFL history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Rodgers’s Most Logical Next Destination: Retirement.
