Will the Jets release Aaron Rodgers? Why New York is ‘increasingly likely’ to bench star QB, per report | Sporting News

The Big Apple has not been kind to big-name quarterbacks as of late.

Daniel Jones was recently granted his requested release after putting the finishing touches on a contentious six-year spell with the Giants. Could a similar fate be on the horizon for Jets standout Aaron Rodgers?

Jets owner Woody Johnson appears ready to take his organization in a new direction, having recently handed pink slips to head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. Rodgers, having arrived in New York due in large part to Saleh and Douglas’ recruiting methods, has struggled to recreate the MVP form of his past.

With the 3-8 organization floundering, now might be as good a time as ever to cut ties with the polarizing gunslinger. Here’s the latest on news regarding Rodgers’ future in Jets green.

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Will the Jets release Aaron Rodgers?

Rodgers appears to be in purgatory as the Jets limp towards another sub-.500 campaign. The four-time MVP has had his moments in the green-and-white this year. Still, he looks far from his spellbinding best.

According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, high-ranking members of the organization — including Johnson — are unconvinced that Rodgers has what it takes to help New York break its 14-year playoff drought.

With the 41-year old quarterback reportedly dealing with niggling knee and hamstring trouble, there could be a time in the not-so-distant future where Rodgers is shut down — either by being placed on injured reserve or benched. Such a move signaled the end of the line for Jones, Russell Wilson and a handful of other big-name marksmen in past seasons.

Johnson appears to have thrown a towel on the 2024 season, already cutting ties with Saleh and, most recently, Douglas. The 77-year old venture capitalist is believed to be pushing his franchise towards a rebuild. Rodgers doesn’t fit into such a timeline. As such, it’s easy to understand why the two haven’t had much of a relationship as of late.

The Jets could even cut Rodgers from their roster in the middle of the season, and some sources around the league told The Athletic that such a move would not be surprising. But releasing Rodgers at this point would not offer the Jets much financial reprieve.

Although Rodgers’ contract netted him $112.5 million over the course of three-years — good for an average annual value (AAV) of $37.5 million — his cap hit for the 2024 season sits as a meager $17.2 million. His salary figures will scrawl across New York’s books until 2029.

If the Jets designated Rodgers as a victim of the post-June 1 cull, they’d only be on the hook for $14 million in 2025. That figure would rise to $35 million in 2026, a wretched sum given the impending raises Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Brece Hall are all likely to ask for in the coming few years.

Still, a rising salary cap could entice Johnson & Co. to make a move sooner rather than later.

Will Aaron Rodgers retire?

Russini reports that Rodgers still wants to suit up for the 2025 campaign — just not with the Jets.

With Douglas and Saleh out the picture, Rodgers is without two of his biggest allies in the organizational hierarchy. Their successors will likely yearn for someone to mold in their own vision.

When queried on his future prospects earlier in the season, Rodgers told reporters he was interested into returning to the gridiron in 2025.

“I think so, yeah,” Rodgers said. That doesn’t make it sound like a certainty, but it wasn’t a total deviation from Rodgers’ comment earlier in the year about hoping to play two or three more seasons.

If the Jets move on, could that be enough to change Rodgers’ mind about retirement? That remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be shocking. Rodgers already considered retiring in 2022 and 2023, even admitting he was leaning toward retirement before going into the darkness and deciding he wanted to be a Jet.

There is enough quarterback desperation in the NFL that Rodgers could easily explore other options, but at 41, it’s fair to wonder whether he has the desire to get familiar with an entirely new franchise.

Aaron Rodgers cap hit

Rodgers is in the second year of what is effectively a three-year, $112.5 million contract. The deal will void after the 2025 season, though the cap hit is spread out through the 2029 season. Rodgers’ cap hit for 2024 is only $17.2 million.

Releasing Rodgers would either put the Jets on the hook for a $49 million dead cap hit in 2025 or a much lower $14 million hit in 2025 with a $35 million hit in 2026 if he’s designated as a post-June 1 release.