Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be the savior of the New York Jets when he arrived in the Big Apple in 2023. However, over the last two years, he hasn’t saved anything except the Jets’ propensity for mediocrity. Now, at 3-8 and having lost seven of their last eight outings, The Athletic insider Diana Russini suggests the Jets-Rodgers marriage could already be on its last legs.
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On the latest episode of her podcast, Scoop City, Russini posited that this is the beginning of the end of the Rodgers experiment in New York. Things have clearly not been going well, she pointed out. New York heads into their Week 12 bye without their head coach, without their general manager, and with a QB under center that the owner doesn’t even believe can help them win. That’s about as Jets as it gets.
“I would be very surprised if Aaron Rodgers is back with the New York Jets,” Russini said, “I don’t get the sense the Jets want him back. I don’t get the sense that this is somewhere he wants to be knowing it’s been a chaotic two years. It’s been dysfunctional from the top to the bottom.”
Russini acknowledged that, like most in the NFL world, she initially thought Jets ownership was doing the right thing by bringing Rodgers in. However, since then, it’s been debacle after debacle.
Owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start, but things have only gone further downhill from there. New York’s defense was supposed to be the most reliable part of their team. However, it has been in shambles since Saleh, a rare defensive-minded head coach, was given the boot.
Earlier this week, Johnson canned his general manager, Joe Douglas. It has also been reported that Johnson called a meeting on September 30, with the team at 2-2, to discuss the franchise’s direction and put forth the idea that the team should maybe bench Rodgers.
Chase Daniel goes on a rant about Jets, Aaron Rodgers
Diana Russini wasn’t the only host on Scoop City with something to get off her chest. Her co-host, former NFL QB Chase Daniel, also felt the need to share his two cents about the Aaron Rodgers situation.
“Why do they care what Aaron Rodgers thinks? Move on with your life, New York Jets. There’s no way in hell that you should want him back. He’s an aging guy, that you even said has not been playing great. Move on, draft well, go hire a legitimate head coach, go hire a legitimate GM, and try to rebuild this thing from the ground up.”
The former NFLer was right about a lot in his rant. But the most important part is this: all the drama aside, Rodgers has not been playing good football. He is having arguably the worst season of his career across the board.
His completion percentage (63.4) is his lowest since 2019, his TD rate (4.5) is his lowest since 2018, his INT rate (1.8) is his second-highest since 2017, his yards per attempt (6.4) is the lowest of his career, his yards per game (222.0) are the second-lowest of his career, and his passer rating (88.9) is the lowest of his career by far.
It can’t be helped at this point, unfortunately. Rodgers will finish out this season as the starter despite subpar play, the Jets will likely miss the playoffs, and the two sides will part ways in 2025. They will host the Seattle Seahawks when they come out of their bye in Week 13.
