New York Jets First Step to Fixing Franchise Is Moving On From Aaron Rodgers

For the New York Jets to get on the right track, they need to move on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) scrambles during the first quarter against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

2024 was yet another lost season for the New York Jets.

Despite some optimism entering the campaign, nothing went right and they fell woefully short of expectations. Losers in nine out of their last 10 games and with a 3-10 record, there are going to be some major changes coming during the offseason.

The first order of business will be finding a new regime to lead the football operations.

Head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were both fired during the season. Saleh met his demise after a Week 5 defeat in London at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, while Douglas’s tenure came to an end after a Week 11 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

There will be plenty of speculation and rumors about who will fill those voids, but a general manager is expected to be hired first. They are casting a wide net, as no stone will be left unturned in the search to fill those vacancies.

Whoever takes over this job will be taking over what looks like it could be a lengthy rebuild. There are some legitimate building blocks in place with the roster, but some major question marks as well.

The biggest is quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Acquired during the 2023 offseason from the Green Bay Packers in a trade, he was expected to be a savior of sorts for the franchise. The answer they have been seeking for a long time under center.

His debut lasted four plays before suffering what turned out to be a season-ending Achilles injury. This year, he has remained on the field but is battling numerous injuries and he has failed to elevate the unit as much as the team had hoped he would.

Despite not having an option to turn to at the position on the roster, the first thing the new regime should do to help get the Jets back on track is to move on from the future Hall of Famer.

“The Jets will have to designate Rodgers as a post-June 1 release, which would free up $9.5 million in cap savings in 2025, albeit at the expense of $35 million in dead money in 2026. Rodgers was owed $37.5 million in cash, all of which is unguaranteed. The Jets could technically wait until the day before the regular season to make this move, given that his base salary is only $2.5 million and wouldn't be difficult to carry throughout the spring and summer, but it's time for the organization to be decisive.”

That kind of tone-setting move is something the new regime needs to do as soon as possible. They have to make it clear that things are going to change and be different under their watch and that it won’t be as much of a circus.

His performance this season certainly doesn’t warrant the price tag, as he is partly to blame for New York blowing a franchise record five fourth quarter leads this campaign.

Owner Woody Johnson was vocal earlier in the year about wanting to move on from the veteran quarterback as well. After the team’s loss in Week 4 to the Denver Broncos he wanted a change, no longer feeling Rodgers was the right man to lead the team back to the postseason.

In hindsight, he was right.

The four-time MVP isn’t solely to blame for their struggles, as there have been a lot of issues in 2024. But he certainly hasn’t been as helpful as expected and the sooner the two sides part ways the better.