It appears to be the beginning of the end for Aaron Rodgers’ tenure with the New York Jets.
A month after dismissing head coach Robert Saleh, Jets owner Woody Johnson fired general manager Joe Douglas amid the team’s disappointing 3-8 season. Douglas, who traded for Rodgers ahead of the 2023 season, saw that move turn into an unmitigated disaster.
Rodgers lasted just four plays in his first season with New York before tearing his Achilles against the San Francisco 49ers. This year, the 40-year-old is having the worst season of his career, unable to show the form that earned him three MVP awards.
“Today, I informed Joe Douglas he will no longer serve as the General Manager of the New York Jets. I want to thank Joe for his commitment to the Jets over the last six years and wish him and his family the best moving forward,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson added that the franchise will immediately begin the process of identifying a new GM.
The Jets had hoped Rodgers would lead them to the Super Bowl. It hasn’t turned out that way.
Despite trading for an All-Pro wide receiver, the Jets’ offense remains putrid, even with young playmakers like Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. The defense has also regressed this year.
With Saleh and Douglas now gone, questions are arising about Rodgers’ future. According to one NFL insider, he most likely won’t return to the Jets next year.
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According to ESPN NFL insider Rich Cimini, a “source said he’d be ‘shocked’ if Johnson brings Rodgers back in 2025.”
If the Jets retain Rodgers, they would need to pick up a $35 million option bonus and his $2.5 million base salary for 2025. He has no guaranteed money for next season and carries a $23.5 million cap hit.
Rodgers has expressed his desire to return to the Jets next year.
For a quarterback who would be 41 entering 2025 and with the lackluster season he’s having, it would be hard for the Jets to justify paying Rodgers that amount of money for another mediocre season.
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