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Jets Told Aaron Rodgers No More 'Pat McAfee Show' If He Wanted to Come Back Next Season

If Rodgers was going to come back to New York, it was going to be on the Jets' terms, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

Dan Lyons

Aaron Rodgers appears on The Pat McAfee Show.
Aaron Rodgers appears on The Pat McAfee Show. / via The Pat McAfee Show
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A rebuild is underway in New York, and it means quarterback Aaron Rodgers will likely be looking for a new team... if he opts against retirement ahead of the 2025 season.

The New York Jets intend to move on from the 41-year-old QB, as new head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey begin to shape the franchise. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, during the franchise's discussions with Rodgers, they were open to him returning, but on Glenn's terms, which meant full involvement in the offseason and, notably, a step back from some of his more divisive weekly media duties.

“I was told that when they had conversations with Aaron Rodgers about what the future would look like, if you’re going to be part of this team you’re going to attend all of training camp,” Russini said on her Scoop City podcast. “You’re not going to do Pat McAfee interviews anymore.

“... They had a conversation with him of, 'If you were to stay here, here is how we would want it to be.' So this to me is Aaron Glenn getting control back.”

Even with those stipulations, Russini doesn't believe it was realistic for Rodgers to return for 2025.

"I think that, no matter what the Jets were going to say, Aaron Rodgers wanted to move on," she told co-host Chase Daniel. "I think he was smart to talk to the Jets and say, 'Where do we stand, how does this work?' And maybe if they were on the side of convincing him more, this could have changed, but this wasn't the way it was when they traded for him, when it was exciting."

For now, Rodgers's future remains completely up in the air as he weighs retirement and, once again, finding a new NFL home. When he reaches that answer, there's a very good chance he'll share it on... The Pat McAfee Show.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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