By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-20 02:38:43 | Updated at 2024-11-23 18:56:36
3 days ago
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be following general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh out of the door in New York, according to reports.
The Jets had entered the Rodgers era in high hopes after Douglas manufactured a blockbuster deal to bring the four-time MVP to the Big Apple in 2023 in exchange for multiple picks with the Green Bay Packers.
But with Douglas, the architect of the trade, now sent packing - just one month after head coach Saleh faced the axe - doubt lingers over Rodgers' fate in New York.
And, according to multiple reports, Rodgers' tenure with the Jets could be set to come to an end after just two seasons.
An inside source told ESPN's Rich Cimini that it's highly unlikely that Jets owner Woody Johnson will bring the former Super Bowl winner back in 2025.
'The Jets have dropped seven of their past eight games in what was supposed to be a win-now season under Rodgers, whose future is cloudy,' wrote Cimini following Douglas's firing Tuesday.
The New York Jets are reportedly already leaning towards a decision on Aaron Rodgers' fate
The franchise fired its general manager Joe Douglas Tuesday, leaving doubt over the QB
'One source said he'd be 'shocked' if Johnson brings Rodgers back in 2025.'
The insider added that Rodgers's $23.5 million cap charge in 2025 is not guaranteed.
Another report from SNY claimed that the Jets' players had already 'checked out' with many 'just ready for it [the season] to be over' before also suggesting that Rodgers is not expected to be suiting up at MetLife again next season.
'There are seven weeks left in this season. It will give the Jets a jumpstart on another rebuild. They're looking for a new general manager. They will be looking for a new coach,' SNY's Connor J Hughes reported.
'Sources told SNY that the team prefers to move on from Aaron Rodgers, too. Those are the easy decisions, though. How to fill those voids poses a much greater challenge.'
Rodgers returned with the Jets after being ruled out for the entirety of his debut season with the team after suffering an Achilles tear in their 2023 opening game against Buffalo.
Despite a miserable 3-8 season so far this year, the veteran had shut down talk of retirement earlier this month.
'I think so, yeah,' Rodgers said when asked about his plans to return. Doubling down on his previous hopes from last offseason to play 'two or three or four more years.'
Multiple reports suggested that owner Woody Johnson is ready to move on from the veteran
'Not really, not for the negative,' he added. 'Not really, no.'
However, even if Rodgers does intend to return to the NFL next season it appears it may now not be with the Jets.
The Jets were supposed to be legitimate playoff contenders this season - with a fully healthy Aaron Rodgers and a bevy of weapons at his disposal.
Still, even after swinging the trade for Davante Adams , the Jets languish towards the bottom of the AFC as they own a record of 3-8.
After firing Saleh earlier in the season, it appears that the next man to be shown the door was Douglas with former Browns general manager Phil Savage set to step in as interim- signaling a complete teardown and rebuild is likely on the cards for the Jets.
Douglas had been with the Jets since 2019 - joining the team after that year's draft process. Then-head coach Adam Gase conducted the drafting for the Jets in that season.
During his tenure, he scored plenty of hits. The 2022 NFL Draft was a particular high point - with Douglas drafting star cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson in the top-ten before adding pass rusher Jermaine Johnson later in the first-round and running back Breece Hall in the second-round.
Douglas also managed to pull off something of a heist by trading safety Jamal Adams and a fourth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Bradley McDougald, a third-round pick, and two firsts (one of which was used on Garrett Wilson).
Douglas was fired in the same season the Jets let go of head coach Robert Saleh (left)
But, just like any GM, he also had plenty of problems - the most notable being that the Jets never resolved the issue at quarterback.
Douglas held the second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After Trevor Lawrence was taken first-overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Douglas took BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second.
Wilson failed to live up to his potential in New York and was eventually traded to the Broncos after three poor seasons as the Jets' starter.
Douglas was also the man responsible for engineering the Rodgers trade last season. In total, the Jets received Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers' first-round pick in 2023 (selecting linebacker Will McDonald IV), and their fifth-round pick in 2023.
In exchange, the Packers received the Jets' 2023 first-round pick (used to take pass rusher Lukas Van Ness), their 2023 second-round pick (used to take tight end Luke Musgrave), and their 2023 sixth-round pick (used on kicker Anders Carlson).
The Packers also got a conditional second-round pick in 2024 that they moved to the New Orleans Saints in a swap of second-rounders (the Saints drafted cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, the Packers took linebacker Edgerrin Cooper).
Rodgers got injured four snaps into the 2023 season and so far in 2024 has not lived up to the expectations placed on him by Jets fans - even after Jets management bent over backwards trying to appease the Super Bowl winner by acquiring wide receivers he had previously worked with.
This season, Douglas was at the center of three trades that affected the team. The first was an offseason deal with the Philadelphia Eagles that saw the Jets land linebacker Haason Reddick in exchange for a conditional 2026 second-round pick that's likely to become a 2026 third-round pick.
Douglas was responsible for taking BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second in the 2021 draft
Douglas was also responsible for acquiring one of Rodgers' favorite receivers, Davante Adams
Reddick held out of training camps and practices - even going so far as to demand a trade - u ntil finally coming to an agreement on a new deal with the team in late-October .
Douglas was also responsible for acquiring one of Rodgers' favorite wide receivers, Davante Adams in exchange for a 2025 second-rounder that's likely to become a third-rounder - unless Adams gets voted on the All-Pro first or second team.
Neither of those things are likely, with Adams currently 42nd in the league in receiving yards and owning only two receiving touchdowns.
After acquiring Adams, Douglas flipped wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the trade deadline in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
In his first game with his new team, Williams caught a game-winning touchdown and then hit back at Rodgers after previously being on the receiving end of criticism from the quarterback.
