The New York Jets officially announced they were moving on from legendary QB Aaron Rodgers. New head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey decided it would be best to start their tenure with the Jets with a clean slate at quarterback.
Many coaches and general managers like to have their pick of the litter when they start their tenures with questions at quarterback. Rarely, though, is your current quarterback a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and four-time NFL MVP like Rodgers. The Jets’ decision has its supporters and doubters. NFL analyst Craig Carton doesn’t see the vision that Glenn and Mougey see.
Craig Carton Rips the Jets’ Thin QB Room After Aaron Rodgers Split
Carton is not a fan of the Jets getting rid of Rodgers. He doesn’t see a way the Jets can find an immediate upgrade over Rodgers. On his show on FS1, “Breakfast Ball,” he went in on the Jets’ front office.
“What’s the plan? They’re not drafting high enough to get Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Do I want Kirk Cousins … Marcus Mariota … Derek Carr? There’s no options. This is so typical of how the Jets do things,” Carton said.
.@craigcartonlive reacts to the Jets moving on from Aaron Rodgers:
"What's the plan? They're not drafting high enough to get Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Do I want Kirk Cousins… Marcus Mariota… Derek Carr? There's no options. This is so typical of how the Jets do things." pic.twitter.com/zkvt1Dc6Mr
— Breakfast Ball (@BrkfstBallOnFS1) February 14, 2025
Rodgers didn’t have a terrible statistical season but the Jets didn’t win nearly as much as expected. Rodgers was 21st in PFSN’s QB+ rankings with a grade of 72.2 (C-). This wasn’t his worst season under this metric (dating back to 2019, as far back as QB+ data dates) as his last season with the Green Bay Packers graded out worse.
He converted on third downs only 33.5% of the time which was good for 29th in the NFL and got the ball out of his hands the sixth quickest in the league. The Jets offense did have its best season under PFSN’s Offense+ metric, though.
It ranked 19th this season, with three last-place finishes, a 31st-place finish, and a 26th-place allotment to round out New York’s previous years. Rodgers improved the Jets’ offense but still failed to make them a top-half unit.
What’s Next for the Jets at QB
The Jets are in an interesting predicament as the options out there at quarterback aren’t the most appealing. They aren’t currently in a position to reliably be able to select one of the top two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft either as they are picking seventh in the current NFL Draft order.
Could the Jets shock the league and make a move to get Sanders or Ward at the top of the NFL Draft? Sure, but the reality of this happening isn’t very likely. This could change over the next couple of months leading up to the NFL Draft and would be quite the move for Glenn and Mougey to start their tenure.
SEE MORE: New York Jets Depth Chart
The options in free agency aren’t very eye-catching. The top free agent options among QBs include Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Mac Jones, Jimmy Garoppolo, Mariota, Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco, Mason Rudolph, and Daniel Jones.
Outside of Darnold, who had a career year, this list looks quite bleak. Fields and Wilson split time in Pittsburgh so they might be interesting options for New York. These three quarterbacks top PFSN’s free agent rankings and will likely be at the top of the Jets’ wishlist if they go with a veteran option.
Two other intriguing candidates who could be available are Cousins and Carr, as Carton mentioned.
Cousins signed a huge contract with the Atlanta Falcons last offseason but was benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. in Week 16. The Falcons might look to get off of Cousins’ contract early and could release him. The Jets might be able to pick him up for cheap, but he is 36 years old and didn’t show the best version of himself this season after suffering an Achilles tear the previous year amid one of the best seasons in his career.
Carr is in a situation similar to Rodgers. The New Orleans Saints recently hired former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as their head coach. Moore might want to start fresh at quarterback like the Jets and move away from Carr. This would be an interesting option for the Jets who are younger than someone like Cousins.
The Jets have their work cut out for them. The search for a quarterback to replace will be a storyline to watch in New York.
