Aaron Rodgers rumors: Jets already expecting to move on from star QB after 2024 season?

The New York Jets didn’t just guarantee an overhaul of their leadership structure when they fired general manager Joe Douglas this week. They also ushered out another big name responsible for bringing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to town back in 2023. And it’s possible Jets owner Woody Johnson has already decided to move on from the aging, ailing signal-caller following the 2024 campaign.

Reporting on Douglas’ ouster, ESPN this week quoted an anonymous source close to the situation who’d be “shocked” if Johnson retains Rodgers in 2025. SNY also reported that the Jets “prefer a change at quarterback,” echoing speculation that the former Green Bay Packers star isn’t long for the organization.

It’s just common sense, as CBS Sports contributor and former NFL agent Joel Corry outlined this week: Rodgers isn’t just underperforming as a 40-year-old starter, but he’s shown severe physical limitations coming off 2023’s torn Achilles, struggling to regain mobility in the pocket. More than that, the Jets can immediately save close to $10 million by designating Rodgers a post-June 1 release after the season.

Rodgers, for what it’s worth, has said he intends to keep playing in 2025. He’s technically under contract with New York for next season. It’s unclear whether he’d even welcome an opportunity to return to New York, if Johnson desired as much, now that both Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh — the two most prominent decision-makers to lure Rodgers from Green Bay — are out of the picture.