Will Jets Keep Aaron Rodgers? NFL Analyst Suggests 1 Necessary Change
![Dec 29, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walks out onto the field prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Dec 29, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walks out onto the field prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5010,h_2818,x_0,y_96/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/jets_country/01jjpqvbavgzw4df8r65.jpg)
Until the New York Jets make an ultimate decision on Aaron Rodgers, the choice will dominate headlines.
Rodgers is a future Hall of Famer and one of the most polarizing players in recent memory in the National Football League. Plenty of people love him and plenty of people dislike him. Plus, when you're in the New York media market it just amplifies things.
The 41-year-old is coming off a season in which he logged 28 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions. New York finished the season with a 5-12 record and now there is a new era in town with Aaron Glenn taking over as head coach and Darren Mougey as general manager.
Glenn noted in his opening press conference with the New York media that the team is going to take their time deciding what to do with Rodgers but is going to make the right decision. There's arguments on both sides of the conversation right now.
His contract certainly complicates some things and ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak suggested the only way it would make sense to retain Rodges would be with a restructured contract.
"While Rodgers' 2025 cap hit might look small at $23.5 million, a whopping $63 million in dead cap money accelerates onto the 2026 balance sheet when Rodgers' deal expires after 2025," Solak said. "It would cost the Jets over $90 million to keep Rodgers next season, whereas cutting him before the 2025 season would cost them only $49 million overall.
"It's very unlikely Rodgers remains a Jet on his current deal. The contract would have to be totally reimagined. Otherwise, Rodgers would need to be released and/or traded -- at which point he would become a 41-year-old free agent who did not play well at his last stop despite the entire team being catered to his needs."
This makes a lot of sense. The Rodgers question certainly is a complicated one. If the two sides can figure out the contract complexities, it could make sense to run it back for one more season but that's easier said than done.
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