Jets to incur massive dead-money cap hit by releasing Aaron Rodgers

There's no longer an official relationship between the New York Jets and future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

If it seems like it was always going to end this way, you'd be forgetting the hype of the summer of 2023. Rodgers was traded by the Green Bay Packers to the Jets as the supposed missing piece for a Super Bowl run.

One torn Achilles and a 5-12 record later and it's over for this marriage. The Jets announced on Thursday that they were officially releasing Rodgers, though owner Woody Johnson did thank him for the excitement.

"I personally want to thank Aaron for his time at the New York Jets. His arrival in 2023 was met with unbridled excitement and I will forever be grateful that he chose to join us to continue his Hall of Fame career," Johnson said in a statement. "From Day 1, he embodied all that it meant to be a New York Jet, embraced our fans, and immersed himself in our city. That is what I will remember most when I look back at his time here. He will always be welcome, and I wish him only the best in whatever he chooses to do next."

Whether Rodgers decides to play in 2025 is still uncertain, and even he is in the dark about it (pun intended). However, the Jets will pay a hefty price for the right decision to give new head coach Aaron Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey a fresh start at quarterback.

The Jets are cutting Rodgers with one year remaining on his contract, so he'll carry a dead-cap hit of $49M. They could eat that all in 2025, but more than likely they'll designate him as a post-June 1 release, which will allow them to carry just $14M of dead-cap money for 2025 while absorbing $35M of dead cap in 2026.