General manager candidates make call on Aaron Rodgers for Jets' 2025 season

While the situation could change, considering the New York Jets don't have a full-time general manager or a full-time head coach employed ahead of Christmas, it seems like Jets owner Woody Johnson will move on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers after this season. 

For a piece published on Friday, The Athletic's Jeff Howe spoke with "three potential general manager candidates" regarding "how they’d handle Rodgers if they took over" the Jets' football operations before the start of the new league year in March. 

"All three said they’d release Rodgers with a post-June 1st designation, assuming the 41-year-old doesn’t show marked improvement down the stretch," Howe revealed. 

Rodgers passed for 628 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions over his past two games. However, the fact that he was slowed by ankle, knee and hamstring injuries earlier this fall, coupled with his play over his first 12 contests of the season, could cause some clubs to look elsewhere if he becomes available.

According to ESPN stats, Rodgers enters the weekend ranked 21st in the league among qualified players with a 53.7 adjusted QBR, 11th with 3,255 passing yards and tied for seventh with 23 touchdowns through the air for the season. He tossed only eight interceptions over 14 games. 

If Rodgers doesn't retire this winter, the Jets could make him a post-June 1st cut and split a $49M dead-cap charge across the next two campaigns. Such a move would allow the future Hall of Famer to sign an inexpensive, team-friendly deal with a different club similar to the one Russell Wilson received from the Pittsburgh Steelers this past March. Benched Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins could follow in Wilson's footsteps this spring. 

"He should eventually be fully recovered from his torn Achilles, which has undeniably hampered him this season, and the Jets' circumstances weren’t conducive to success," Howe added. "Put Rodgers in a more stable situation, perhaps in Pittsburgh, and he might be able to go out on a better note." 

The Steelers remain on track to let Wilson (although he recently expressed his desire to stay in Pittsburgh) and backup Justin Fields reach free agency this offseason. Perhaps Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin will think whatever Rodgers could be next fall will be better than Wilson is heading into the weekend.