The New York Jets have an important decision to make at quarterback. Will Aaron Rodgers be under center for the Jets to start the 2025 season?
Aaron Rodgers Would Mentor A Young QB
I love how Aaron Rodgers responded to Rich Cimini’s hypothetical about the #Jets drafting a young QB in 2025 & him potentially returning.
‘If they ask me back & they drafted a guy, I’d mentor the hell out of him if I was playing & I’d try to play as well as I could to keep him… pic.twitter.com/YY5Fh1l4NQ
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) December 18, 2024
With the Jets (4-10) expected to hold a top-10 pick, the team could consider drafting a quarterback.
In Green Bay, Rodgers was blindsided when the Packers selected Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft. Now, it wouldn’t surprise Rodgers if the Jets drafted a quarterback.
Rodgers is under contract for 2025. Would the 41-year-old quarterback be OK with mentoring a young quarterback?
“When they drafted Jordan, I felt like I was one bad stretch from being benched — and I won MVP a couple of years, so that’s the way the league is,” Rodgers said to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “You have to prove you can play every single week and through stretches.
“So if [the Jets] asked me back and they drafted a guy, I’d mentor the hell out of him if I was playing and I’d try to play as well as I could to keep him on the bench.”
After Love was drafted, Rodgers played some of the best football of his career by winning back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021.
Aaron Rodgers Contract Situation
An interesting clip from the new Rodgers doc on him mentoring Jordan Love pic.twitter.com/E4mcSoAnpO
— Will Parkinson (@Willpa11) December 18, 2024
If the Jets decide to cut or trade Rodgers, they will have a $49 million cap hit in 2025. The Jets can spread that $49 million over two years if Rodgers is designated as a June 1 cut.
Rodgers’ cap hit for 2025 is $23.5 million. However, the four-time MVP has a $35 million option bonus due in 2025.
Rodgers is “open to everything,” including a pay cut. In 2023, Rodgers took a $34 million pay cut.
If the Jets do not rework Rodgers’ contract upon his return, the dead cap number in 2026 moves to $63 million.
The Jets (4-10) host the Los Angeles Rams (8-6) on Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. ET.
