https://sports.yahoo.com/whats-next-for-aaron-rodgers-184106290.html
There was something perhaps unintentionally cruel about the phrasing of the Jets’ breakup statement with Aaron Rodgers — “our intention was to move in a different direction at quarterback” — since moving in a different direction was what cost Rodgers one of his two seasons in a Jets uniform. When Rodgers shredded his Achilles tendon just four plays into his Jets tenure at the start of the 2023 season, the Jets saw all their grand hopes for a renaissance roll off on a cart with him.
Gone was New York’s chance to end the longest playoff drought in the NFL. Gone was an opportunity to halt all the prevailing narratives of incompetence, ineffectiveness and butt-fumbling that have hung over this franchise in a thick green cloud for as long as anyone can remember. Gone, too, was Rodgers’ opportunity to reinvent himself, to craft a new chapter to his Hall of Fame career.
When everything is in ruins, where do you even start to rebuild?
For New York, the answer is clear: The Jets need a quarterback, immediately. And given that they’re drafting seventh this year, the likelihood that one of the top available quarterbacks will fall to them is low indeed. Yahoo Sports’ experts have New York taking Penn State’s Abdul Carter, which will go a long way toward improving the Jets’ defense but do absolutely nothing to solve their quarterback problem. Credit to the Jets, though, for not getting desperate and sticking with Rodgers, who clearly was not the answer.
But if you can’t be the answer at quarterback for the New York Jets, what can you be? That’s the hard question facing Rodgers right now. He played all 17 games in 2024, but nonetheless posted some of his worst career numbers in virtually every major statistical category. He threw for 28 touchdowns and 3,897 yards, both in the league’s top 10, but in a largely desperate and futile effort; the Jets went 5-12 with Rodgers under center last year.
So what’s next? Rodgers is 41, with a recent history of significant injury. Also, he’s 41. And did we mention he’s 41? Tom Brady skewed everyone’s perception of what quarterback longevity should be, but the truth is that most quarterbacks drop off significantly in their late 30s; Rodgers has already beaten the odds by sticking around this long. What could be next for him?
A starting job: Five teams are for sure in the market for a quarterback: Titans, Browns, Giants, Raiders and Jets. All five have a pick in the top seven of April’s draft, where two quarterbacks — Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders — are expected to go high.
Considering neither Ward or Sanders are likely to fall to the Jets, that leaves just two open jobs for Rodgers, three if you count the Steelers, who currently have no quarterback under contract for 2025 after giving Russell Wilson and Justin Fields cracks at the gig in 2024. (You could add in Jacksonville, if the Jaguars manage to move Trevor Lawrence, as rumored.)
Aaron Rodgers in orange, or silver and black? Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin comparing football philosophies? The mind reels.
A bridge job: One of those QB-needy teams high in the draft might decide that their prize pick isn’t quite ready for the rigors of the NFL and bring in Rodgers as a short-term fix. Hey, it worked for Patrick Mahomes. Also high on sports books’ minds: the 49ers, giving Rodgers a chance to close out his career in California. It seems unlikely, given the public support 49ers officials have expressed for a Brock Purdy extension, but it’s out there.
Another intriguing possibility, if only because of historical symmetry, would be the Minnesota Vikings. Rodgers would be following the same path as his Green Bay predecessor — win MVPs and a Lombardi with the Packers, take snaps with the Jets, then jump to Minnesota. The Vikings have J.J. McCarthy waiting to step into the spotlight after he lost his entire rookie season to injury. With Sam Darnold perhaps gone to a bigger contract, could Rodgers be a short-term solution, prepping McCarthy for the big time? Would he even want such a role?
A back-up job: Rodgers will command a hefty salary regardless of where he goes. Plus, he’ll expect starter’s reps if he makes the full commitment to return to the league. Would a team be willing to pay him that much money to hold a clipboard? And would Rodgers accept a back-up role? Unlikely.
No job: Rodgers might just decide he’s had enough of the NFL. He’s flirted with retirement before, and even conceded late last year that he might be at the end of the road. “It’s been a long career,” he said before the Jets’ final 2024 game. “I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to be a part of, what I’ve been able to accomplish, and I’m also looking forward to a nice mental and physical rest.”
A podcast job: Rodgers has discovered his inner podcaster in the last few years, using outlets like Pat McAfee’s show to air his particular views on politics, vaccine policy and the media, among other polarizing topics. Rodgers has always sought to establish himself as the smartest guy in the room, and a podcast or similar broadcast career — not a play-by-play or commentator position — would give him the opportunity to expound at length on whatever topic interests him on a given day. It wouldn’t be boring, we’re sure of that.
Rodgers remains one of the most fascinating figures in the NFL, sometimes for his athletic excellence and sometimes for his can’t-look-away destructiveness. If he stays in the league, it’ll be a must-watch experience, one way or another. And if he gets behind a mic, he’ll have 20 years of stories to tell.
https://sports.yahoo.com/whats-next-for-aaron-rodgers-184106290.html
