Jets coaches still hold some surprising views on Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers’ tenure with the New York Jets ended in disappointment, drama, and ultimately, a high-profile release just two years after he was brought in to change the franchise.

Now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers is being given the reins again, and somewhat surprisingly, not everyone at One Jets Drive has distanced themselves from the former MVP.

Despite public friction, including Rodgers calling out new head coach Aaron Glenn on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this offseason, some within the Jets organization still seem to hold him in high regard.

Rodgers' 2024 season was underwhelming, and while the team’s decision to move on made sense from a cap and culture perspective, you’d expect them to fully turn the page. According to a recent report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, some coaches within the organization remain bullish on the four-time MVP.

"While the skepticism is understandable, I've talked to several coaches who watched Rodgers closely last year, including members of the New York Jets staff. They believe Pittsburgh just got a steal."

Jeremy Fowler

NY Jets coaches still think highly of Aaron Rodgers

Fowler reports that multiple members of the current Jets coaching staff believe the Steelers "just got a steal" by landing Rodgers. Praise like that surely raises eyebrows considering the Jets just parted ways with Rodgers this offseason, eating a hefty dead cap charge in the process.

But it also reaffirms that the decision to move on from Rodgers wasn’t purely about performance. He was competent in 2024 and clearly still showed enough to impress those around him. But for the Jets, it was about more than just numbers.

Rodgers represented the final piece of an era that the Jets were eager to move past. Between the injuries, the off-field headlines, and his looming $35 million cap hit, it became clear he no longer fit the direction the team was heading.

Glenn’s arrival marked a cultural shift in Florham Park. This is now a locker room focused on discipline, accountability, and team-first identity. Rodgers, with his weekly McAfee appearances and constant off-field distractions, didn’t align with that new philosophy.

The fact that Jets coaches still speak highly of Rodgers only reinforces the idea that his departure wasn’t personal. There’s still respect for what he brings as a player, but in a post-Rodgers era where the Jets are trying to rebuild from the inside out, admiration wasn’t enough to justify keeping him around.

In the end, Rodgers might still have something left in the tank, but the Jets have already turned the page. Whether he succeeds or not in Pittsburgh, his departure from Florham Park was less about what he couldn’t do and more about what the Jets no longer wanted to be.

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