The New York Jets announced on Thursday that the team is going to pass on having Aaron Rodgers as quarterback.
News that the team was moving on from the controversial athlete broke on Sunday, but the Jets made it official on Thursday via social media, saying, “We have informed Aaron Rodgers that we will be moving in a different direction at quarterback.”
The Jets’ new general manager, Darren Mougey, and new coach, Aaron Glenn, also issued a statement, saying that “it was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures.”
Rodgers spent two years with the Jets. He barely played in 2023 thanks to an injury suffered during the very first moments of the season and led the team to a 5-12 record in 2024.
However, sports reporter Dianna Russini claimed on her “Scoop City” podcast that the disappointing on-field play wasn’t the only factor behind the Jets’ decision to fly away from Rodgers.
She said that Jets executives were also not happy about his weekly appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show,” where he aroused controversy many, many times, including for spreading false vaccine information.
“I was told that when they had conversations with Aaron Rodgers about what the future would look like, if you’re going to be part of this team, you’re going to attend all of the training camp, you’re not going to do Pat McAfee interviews anymore,” Russini said.
The news of Rodgers’ imminent departure from the Jets was a big topic on various social media platforms.
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Before Rodgers can officially move on from the Jets however, there is some money issues to be worked out, according to The Associated Press.
The team “would absorb a $49 million dead money charge next season unless it designates Rodgers a post-June 1 cut and can spread out that charge over two years,” the outlet reported, adding, “If the Jets do that, Rodgers would remain on their roster — while carrying a $23.5 salary cap charge — until the start of the NFL’s new league year on March 12.”