The Jets brought Aaron Rodgers in, thinking he would be their messiah—and that he would lift them from obscurity and the drudges of poverty. But he turned out to be a false prophet. His debut season ended with an injury after just four drives, and in his second season, the Jets boasted a worse record than the previous one. What’s worse is the QB’s off-field controversy, which Mike Florio likened to that of Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh.
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On the latest episode of Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio and Rodney Harrison broke down the Jets’ decision to move on from Rodgers after two failed seasons. And, as they reflected on A-Rod’s time in New York, both analysts didn’t hold back—delivering some scathing remarks about the four-time MVP’s personality.
They called him a loose cannon who expected preferential treatment. They also pointed out that Rodgers’ complex personality ultimately became an issue, and by the end, his relationship with many Jets players had deteriorated. The organization gave him everything he asked for, yet he still couldn’t make it work.
Florio argued these are some of the key reasons why the Jets decided to cut ties with Rodgers—even more so since he wasn’t delivering results. Had he been winning, the controversies might have been overlooked. Florio also drew a parallel to Antonio Brown’s exit from Pittsburgh, arguing that talent can buy leniency, but only for so long.
“That’s the balance everyone has to strike when it’s a difficult personality. Is it worth it? At some point, the skills diminish. The Steelers came to that conclusion with Antonio Brown. Employers everywhere will tolerate a lot as long as you are producing at a high level. The minute you stop producing, things that bothered you ‘unofficially,’ become a problem ‘officially.'”
That said, opinions on Rodgers as a teammate have always been divided. While some players find him difficult to deal with, others love him and would go through a wall for him. He never caused on-field drama; it was his off-field controversies and constant media presence that created tension.
As a result, comparing him to someone like Antonio Brown is unfair. AB was a true locker-room disruptor—his teammates didn’t like him, and neither did the media. Rodgers may have his issues, but he was never the kind of problem Brown became.
Florio believes Rodgers’s trade to the Jets shouldn’t have happened
Florio and Harrison argued that Rodgers made no meaningful contribution to the Jets during his two seasons. With no on-field success, they also acknowledged that not everything was Rodgers’ fault—after all, he tore his Achilles in his first year, and the team failed to find its rhythm in Year 2, and it would have made no difference if Rodgers wasn’t at QB.
Still, they believe the Jets knowingly took a massive gamble by betting on an aging quarterback to turn the franchise around.
There was always a risk of Aaron Rodgers getting injured—something that becomes more common for quarterbacks nearing 40. This is why Florio believes the Jets’ decision to acquire the QB was a huge mistake—even worse than their ill-fated trade for Brett Favre over a decade ago.
“It’s not his fault his Achilles tendon blew out in four snaps. But that’s what happens when you go to an older QB, a guy pushing 40, and say here, ‘Be our savior.’ There is a chance he is going to get injured. The whole thing was bad. This was just a mistake. It was a disaster.”
But was A-Rod really that bad? Statistically, not at all. He threw for 3,897 yards—8th most in the league—while his 28 touchdowns ranked 7th. His 11 interceptions put him 12th in the NFL. For a 40-year-old QB coming off an Achilles injury, those numbers are far from poor.
However, the game tape tells a different story. Rodgers didn’t deliver in key moments when the team needed him most. He was sacked 40 times, but the blame wasn’t entirely on him. The Jets’ revamped offensive line struggled outside of Tyron Smith, and their run game was ineffective, forcing Rodgers to shoulder more of the offensive load.
On top of that, coaching instability and poor play-calling only made things worse. But none of this should be surprising—the Jets have been a dysfunctional franchise for years, and one player was never going to change that.
Now, both sides can finally move on. Aaron Rodgers will likely find a new team, while the Jets begin their rebuild. Hiring Aaron Glenn and parting ways with an aging QB they weren’t equipped to manage might be the smartest move they’ve made in years.
