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Despite a disappointing 2024 campaign thus far, the New York Jets are reportedly expecting to run it back with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback in 2025.
Speaking Friday on her Scoop City podcast (beginning at the 21:40 mark), Dianna Russini of The Athletic said the Jets are “planning” to bring Rodgers back next season:
Russini’s report came on the heels of Rodgers getting asked about his playing future Wednesday. When posed with the question of whether he’d like to continue playing with the Jets next season, Rodgers told reporters, “I think so. Yeah.”
While Rodgers is technically in the midst of his second seasons with the Jets, his first season ended on the first offensive series of Week 1 in 2023 when he suffered a torn Achilles.
The 40-year-old rehabbed and healed up in time for the start of the 2024 season, but he clearly hasn’t been the same player he was during his 18-year run with the Green Bay Packers.
As a member of the Packers, Rodgers went 147-75-1 as a starter, was a 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time NFL MVP, and won Super Bowl MVP in the only Super Bowl win of his career.
The Jets hoped that by acquiring Rodgers from the Packers they would manage to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010, but things have not gone according to plan.
Through 10 games this season, the Jets are just 3-7, and Rodgers is completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,258 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Jets even went out and traded for Rodgers’ former Packers teammate in star wide receiver Davante Adams, but his arrival from the Las Vegas Raiders hasn’t made much of a difference.
Despite Russini’s report and Rodgers’ comments, others aren’t so sure that Rodgers will be back in the fold next season.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic expressed his belief this week that Rodgers returning in 2025 is “far from a lock” and may not even put the likelihood of it happening as high as 50 percent.
Rosenblatt noted that several factors could determine Rodgers’ fate, including who is hired at head coach to replace the fired Robert Saleh and who is the general manager provided Joe Douglas is fired.
Also, if Jets owner Woody Johnson accepts a position in the Trump administration like he did previously when he was United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, Rosenblatt suggested it may be more likely Rodgers sticks around since he is close with Christopher Johnson, who would primarily run the team in Woody’s absence.
Acquiring Rodgers compelled the Jets to make several other win-now moves, so pivoting quickly to a rebuild wouldn’t necessarily be an easy thing to do.
Given that the Jets are in the midst of the longest active playoff drought in the NFL, it seems likely that they would want to take one more shot at the postseason with Rodgers under center as long as Rodgers decides to play out the final year of his contract rather than retiring.
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