NFL executive, coach address if Aaron Rodgers is 'on the downside'

As of the afternoon of St. Patrick's Day, stories continued to link former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers with the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.

For a piece published Monday, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shared that one unnamed AFC executive "whose team played the Jets late" this past season believes Rodgers is "on the downside" of his Hall of Fame career. 

"He still has the flashes of arm talent and accuracy," that executive said about the 41-year-old. "There’s a depreciation of the mobility that made him great when he was that two-way, run/pass option player on every play. It’s relegated him to being more of a pocket-passing veteran. Do I think he can start for a year? I do. …He still sees the field well, has football intelligence, the quick release. His arm’s not quite what it was but with the right surrounding cast? Yes."

Rodgers is coming off a "stats can lie" type of season that he finished tied for seventh in the NFL with 28 total passing touchdowns. However, Pro Football Reference shows that he ended the campaign ranked 31st with a 48.0 adjusted QBR. Per ESPN stats, the 2024 Jets were tied for 24th with an average of 19.9 points scored per game. 

With that said, it wasn't all bad for Rodgers as he played through multiple injury setbacks. In the Week 15 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Rodgers passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns. He then completed 23-of-36 pass attempts for 274 yards with four scores and one interception in the club's 32-20 win over the Miami Dolphins to close the season. 

"I think the guy is still a beast," an unnamed AFC defensive coach who went against Rodgers late during the 2024 season said while speaking with Breer. "Mentally and arm-talent-wise, he hasn’t dropped off at all. Now, his mobility and athleticism, of course, isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago. [But] if I’m a team and I need a quarterback right now, I don’t hesitate signing him."

Rodgers reportedly is waiting to learn if the Vikings will let him serve as a short-term starter and a mentor for 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy after McCarthy spent his rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair. Meanwhile, both the Giants and Steelers seemingly have Rodgers as their first choice among quarterbacks available in free agency. 

The previously mentioned defensive coach suggested Rodgers could guide a team with talent on its roster to at least a playoff berth in January 2026. 

"He can still move," that coach added. "He’s not a complete statue back there. And he also might be a little bit more mobile this year, two years removed from the Achilles."

Whether or not the Vikings agree with such assessments shall be seen.