Aaron Rodgers remains on the free agent market as the number of quarterback-needy teams dwindles. The Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks made the biggest moves, acquiring Geno Smith and Sam Darnold, respectively, as those franchises reset.
Former NFL players have argued that there isn’t a market for the 20-year veteran, and that sentiment has held true in free agency. FOX Sports analyst Colin Cowherd recently shared his thoughts on why Rodgers is struggling to find work.
Colin Cowherd Compares Aaron Rodgers to NBA Superstar Kevin Durant
Rodgers has hit a rough patch in the last three seasons. His final year with the Green Bay Packers ended with an 8-9 record and a missed playoff berth, and his two years with the New York Jets resulted in a torn Achilles in 2023 and just five wins in 2024.
He left a storied franchise for one of the league’s most dysfunctional teams, and in his only full season with New York, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The Jets won more games without Rodgers in his two years with the team (seven) than with him (five), and the market has been anything but strong for the four-time MVP.
The Jets have moved on, agreeing to terms with Justin Fields, leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings as potential landing spots. Rodgers may still have something left in the tank, but Cowherd believes he has only himself to blame for his run of “poor decisions” in recent years.
"Both KD and Aaron Rodgers hurt their careers based on poor decisions"@ColinCowherd compares Aaron Rodgers to @KDTrey5 pic.twitter.com/b2UL0aQtIf
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 12, 2025
On The Herd, Cowherd said, “You know what Aaron Rodgers has become?… He’s become Kevin Durant. Both left incredibly stable organizations—Green Bay and Golden State—all they do is win. They got into their feelings. A little bit of ego. They wanted to play with their buddies. So they go to unstable places, the Jets and Brooklyn [Nets], and it’s a mess very quickly.”
Durant spent the first 12 years of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors, winning an MVP and two NBA titles in that span. Much like Rodgers after Green Bay drafted Jordan Love, Durant still wanted to be “the guy” and ended up with the Brooklyn Nets in 2020.
Cowherd continued, “They stoke flames with the media… Both are rich, single guys that get older. No one at home to hold them accountable. Kind of doing their own thing, whatever they feel like. Surround themselves with people who agree with them.
“And now both…have been reduced to crossing their fingers, hoping they can latch onto a team that can make the playoffs. They’re both kind of interesting guys. But…they’re always searching for something. Just being successful and winning, it’s not enough.”
Rodgers last made the playoffs in 2021, losing in the wild-card round. The Packers went 8-9 in his final year with the team and missed the postseason, and he hasn’t come close to the playoffs since. Meanwhile, since winning two NBA championships in Golden State, Durant hasn’t made it past the second round of the playoffs.
According to Cowherd, both players have struggled to get out of their own way.
He continued, “Both also, sometimes to a fault, push back on authority. Both, in my opinion, have hurt their own careers based on poor decisions. The inability to realize how damn good they had it in Golden State and Green Bay. In life, if you can’t tell how green your grass is, then everybody else’s grass looks really green.”
Both Rodgers and Durant are legends in their respective sports, but many believe they should have won more championships at this stage of their careers. Rodgers has less time remaining than Durant, making his next decision critical if he wants another shot at a Super Bowl.