4 reasons why the NY Jets made the correct decision with Aaron Rodgers

The Aaron Rodgers era has officially come to an end. The NY Jets informed Rodgers of their decision to move forward in a new direction last week in a move that feels like it was a mutual choice.

The Jets were open to working with Rodgers. Head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey met with Rodgers earlier this month to discuss their futures and determine if their plans could align.

By the end of that meeting, however, it became abundantly clear to all parties that a partnership just wasn't going to work. That conclusion was drawn as a result of various factors, most of which we'll discuss momentarily.

There was no singular reason behind the move. Instead, this complex decision was made after weighing multiple factors, including performance, long-term goals, and the current culture of the organization.

Now that the dust has settled and cooler heads have (hopefully) prevailed, let's take a comprehensive look at why the Jets made the correct decision to move on from Rodgers.

Why the NY Jets were right to move on from Aaron Rodgers

1. Financial flexibility

You can't discuss the Aaron Rodgers situation without first acknowledging the financial ramifications. The Jets will be on the hook for $49 million in dead cap now that they've decided to move on from their future Hall of Fame quarterback.

The expectation is that Rodgers will be designated as a post-June 1st cut, spreading the cap hit between 2025 ($14 million) and 2026 ($35 million). It might have been best for the Jets to take the full dead cap charge upfront, but this approach still saves them money in the long run.

If the Jets decided to run it back with Rodgers for one more year, that $49 million dead cap hit would've risen to $63 million. That's largely because Rodgers has a $35 million option bonus in his contract that triggers if he's on the Week 1 roster.

The Jets would have been essentially unable to take that $63 million dead cap hit upfront, meaning that retaining Rodgers for another year would have meant the team was charged with a $21 million dead cap hit in 2026 and a whopping $42 million dead cap hit in 2027.

No new regime is going to want to be financially hamstrung like that three years in the future just to bring back a soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback for one last season. FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz suggested that money was the biggest reason behind the Jets' decision, and it's easy to see why.

2. Aaron Rodgers' declining performance and health concerns

Despite his solid box score numbers, Rodgers also just wasn't very good in 2024. The four-time MVP ranked 19th in EPA per play, 25th in QBR, and 31st in completion percentage. The underlying metrics are even more troubling.

The only two quarterbacks to finish with a worse CPOE (completion percentage over expected) than Rodgers were Cooper Rush and Anthony Richardson. Rodgers also ranked 26th in on-target rate and 32nd in accuracy rate, both of which account for dropped passes.

Rodgers was a below-average QB by pretty much every standard in 2024. Of course, there's context to this. Rodgers played through various injuries for much of the year and was still 12 months removed from tearing his Achilles. He also didn't exactly play in the best offensive scheme.

That injury history is another reason to move on, though. Rodgers has now battled injuries in each of his last three seasons in the NFL dating back to his final year in Green Bay. At 41 (soon to be 42), it's hard to believe he'll get healthier.

The Jets can't trust Rodgers to stay healthy for a full 17-game season in 2025, and outside of a handful of games, his performance doesn't justify the baggage that comes with bringing him back.

Oh, and that offensive scheme? That's the scheme he helped develop and implement. Which brings us to...

3. Aaron Rodgers' fit in the new Jets offensive scheme

The Jets will be implementing a new offense under offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand in 2025. It’s unclear what Engstrand’s scheme will look like, but it’s reasonable to expect he’ll incorporate many elements from the system Ben Johnson used in Detroit.

Simply put, Rodgers would be a terrible fit in that scheme. In 2024, the Lions ranked near the top of the NFL in pre-snap motion and led the league by a wide margin in play-action usage. Anyone who has followed Rodgers throughout his career realizes the issue here.

Rodgers has been vocally against the usage of pre-snap motion throughout his career and did not want the Jets running play action much last season. As a result, the Jets ranked near the bottom of the league in both categories — because that's how Rodgers wanted it.

The Lions also ran a league-high 39% of their plays under center as compared to just 15% for the Jets. Rodgers preferred to run plays out of the shotgun because it put less strain on his various leg injuries.

If the Jets brought Rodgers back for another year, they would have had to either force their first-time offensive coordinator to overhaul his scheme and run a system he’s unfamiliar with, or Rodgers would have had to compromise on his demands.

And we all know that second scenario was never going to happen.

4. The Jets are instilling a new culture

The final aspect of the Rodgers decision is the hardest to quantify, but it might have been the most important. The Jets didn’t believe Rodgers was a fit for the culture Glenn and Mougey wanted to instill moving forward.

While we could debate the semantics of various reports, what we do know is this. The Jets didn't want Rodgers to have the same level of freedom that he did under the previous regime.

They didn't want him to have significant control over roster and coaching decisions. They wanted him to attend every practice, voluntary or mandatory. They preferred that he avoid making weekly appearances — and headlines — on The Pat McAfee Show.

Was there ever an ultimatum? Probably not. That's not how these things usually work. But Glenn and Mougey made it clear what they expected from Rodgers if he were to return in 2025. By the end of the conversation, everyone involved realized they had different visions for the future.

Rodgers wants his autonomy. He wants to have full control over his on and off-field actions, regardless of whether they're to the detriment of himself or his team. While he'll never publicly acknowledge it, he seems to enjoy being treated differently than the rest of his teammates.

That was perfectly acceptable when Rodgers was one of the three best quarterbacks in the world, but the first year his performance dipped in Green Bay, the Packers cut bait in what was, again, seemingly a mutual decision.

A few years later, the Jets had the same discussion with their quarterback. The Jets and Rodgers had vastly different visions for their individual futures moving forward. Ultimately, that is quite possibly the biggest reason Rodgers will not be the Jets' QB in 2025.