Aaron Rodgers’ tenure with the New York Jets has been a complete disaster. Firstly, he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on his debut with the team last season. And now with him back healthy, the team has looked worse than they did with Zach Wilson.
Rodgers has confirmed that he is not planning to retire and will play next season. The Jets quarterback still has one year left on his deal, but Nick Wright thinks that the AFC East franchise should part ways with the four-time NFL MVP after this season.
Nick Wright Thinks Jets Should Part Ways With Aaron Rodgers
During a segment on the “What’s Wright? with Nick Wright,” the Fox Sports analyst explained in detail why the Jets should not continue with Rodgers.
“In what world is it good for the New York Jets to bring back Aaron Rodgers?” questioned Wright. “They’re going to be hiring a new head coach; when you’re interviewing the best head coaching candidates, do you think saying you’ll have one more year of 41-year-old, soon to be 42 at the time, Aaron Rodgers is a pro or a con, as to why that coach would want the job.
“And if you’re trying to build up a culture and a new program, how, why on earth would you want Aaron Rodgers to be a part of it?”
“Aaron Rodgers retiring has nothing to do with the fact they’ve gotta cut him. He’s a bad, aging, injured, distracted player who has sucked all of the life out of that building.”
— @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/2oHz5095gF
— What’s Wright? with Nick Wright (@WhatsWrightShow) November 14, 2024
The Jets will likely show interest in hiring Ben Johnson after the season, and Wright makes a valid point about why a new head coach would want to coach a team with a quarterback with a strong personality like Rodgers.
Moreover, Wright mentioned that, since Woody Johnson will likely get appointed as a foreign ambassador to some country by Donald Trump, Christopher Johnson will once again take care of the team in his brother’s absence. Since Christopher did not bring in the former Packers quarterback, there is a chance that he will let go of veterans like Rodgers, Davante Adams, and Tyron Smith.
Wright also said that the Jets already have their young foundational pieces in Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Quinnen Williams. As a result, it will be better for them to pair these players alongside a young quarterback like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.
Wright added, “People are living in a make-believe world. He’s terrible, he’s really bad, as a football player, he’s 62% passing, 6.4 yards per attempt, he cannot escape at all to save his life. … Him retiring has nothing to do with the fact they’ve got to cut him, like he’s a bad, aging, injured, distracted player who has sucked all of the life out of that building.”
Can the Jets Afford To Release Rodgers?
After getting traded to the Jets in 2023, Rodgers signed a three-year, $112.5 million restructured deal. As per Wright, if the veteran quarterback is on the team next season, the Jets will take a cap hit of $23 million and $50 million if he gets released.
However, based on his contract, even if Rodgers plays for the Jets next year, the team will have to take a cap hit of $21 million in 2026 when the quarterback will not be on the roster.
As a result, the Jets will have to bear significant cap hits whether or not they continue with Rodgers. It will be better for them to completely tear down the roster and start again with a rookie quarterback alongside the talented young players that they already have on their roster.
It will also be easier to get a quality head coach if the team is not in immediate win mode. This will allow that candidate some time to instill a new culture into the franchise, which should be a priority.