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It’s official. The Jets need a new quarterback.
The team announced Thursday it has informed Aaron Rodgers it is moving in a different direction.
The move has been anticipated for a while, with the Jets making a change at coach and general manager this offseason, and Fox Sports reporting Sunday that the Jets had informed Rodgers they were moving on in a face-to-face meeting last week.
The move ends a disappointing chapter for the Jets and Rodgers, who came to the franchise in a trade in 2023 with plenty of hope attached to him.
“I personally want to thank Aaron for his time at the New York Jets,” team owner Woody Johnson said in a statement released Thursday morning. “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. From day one, 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.”
The Jets must decide whether to release him and take the full $49 million dead money hit on their salary cap in 2025 or designated him as a post-June 1 release.
That would allow them to split the cap hit over two years — $14 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026.
If the Jets decide to make him a post-June 1 release, they have to wait until the new league year begins on March 12 to actually release him.
Rodgers, 41, would be free to sign with any team after that. Rodgers’ $23.5 million salary cap charge would remain on the books until June 1.
The Jets sent a package of draft picks to the Packers in April 2023 to acquire Rodgers. The hope was that the four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer could provide the franchise with a culture change and elevate the team out of its losing ways.
The trade was met with much fanfare, and Rodgers and the Jets were featured on “Hard Knocks” that summer.
The pregame introduction for Rodgers’ first game on “Monday Night Football” against the Bills was one of the most electric moments the Jets have had at MetLife Stadium.
The mood quickly changed, though, when Rodgers tore the Achilles tendon in his left ankle on the fourth play of the game.
Rodgers was lost for the season, and the Jets went 7-10 with Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian at quarterback.
The return of Rodgers in 2024 gave the team more hope entering last season. It did not go as planned, though.
Rodgers and the team struggled, and head coach Robert Saleh was fired after five games with the team at 2-3.
The coaching change to Jeff Ulbrich only seemed to make things worse, and the spiral continued. GM Joe Douglas was fired in November and the team finished the year at 5-12.
The quarterback had an up-and-down season and was plagued by leg injuries in the middle of the season. He threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
There were some good moments down the stretch that made some think the Jets should bring him back in 2025, but he struggled mightily against the Bills, the best team he played in the final month.
The Jets hired Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey as their new coach and GM, respectively, in January, and their first big move is to move on from Rodgers.
“Last week we met with Aaron and shared that our intention was to move in a different direction at quarterback,” Glenn and Mougey said in a statement released by the team. “It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures. We want to thank him for the leadership, passion, and dedication he brought to the organization and wish him success moving forward.”
The question now is where the Jets go at quarterback. Tyrod Taylor is under contract and is an experienced quarterback, but he has durability questions.
The Jets hold the No. 7 pick, which means it is unlikely they will be able to get Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, who are considered the top tier of quarterbacks in the draft.
The Jets could draft a quarterback on Day 2 and pair him with Taylor.
The options in free agency are not all that appealing.
If the Vikings do not re-sign Sam Darnold, he will be the top free agent QB, but it is unlikely he would want to return to the team where he spent his first three seasons.
Justin Fields is another possibility in free agency. There is also speculation that Atlanta could cut Kirk Cousins. He has history with Rick Spielman, who was recently hired as a senior advisor for the Jets.
Spielman signed Cousins when he was the GM of the Vikings.
It will be another offseason of quarterback drama for the Jets, a position they know all too well.
