Jets owner Woody Johnson‘s decision to fire head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas in back-to-back months has painted a picture of a dysfunctional franchise rife with drama in the front office and the locker room.
However, reports of tension between Johnson and Aaron Rodgers are “overblown,” according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz, despite a recent bombshell that Johnson suggested benching his star quarterback earlier this season. The two have remained in communication throughout the recent turmoil with both men disappointed in the team’s performance thus far this season.
After losing all of the 2023 season due to an Achilles tear, Rodgers has struggled to stay fully healthy this year, landing on the injury report several times due to issues with his hamstring, knee, and ankle. The mercurial quarterback has still started every game this season, playing 98% of the Jets’ offensive snaps to date.
However, it remains unclear exactly how banged up Rodgers is. He has refused medical scans on his leg injuries to avoid revealing their severity so he can keep playing, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. His September 29 hamstring injury “was believed to be a particularly significant one,” but the 40-year-old insisted that it was not significant and refused to consider taking a game off to recover. A stint on injured reserve has been floated as a way to force Rodgers to heal from his injuries while allowing him to save face publicly.
Rodgers’ injury struggles in New York – which have led to one of the worst statistical seasons of his career – have stirred doubt about his future as a Jet. As recently as November 14, Rodgers has confirmed his desire to play in 2025, though he was noncommittal about returning to the Jets for a third season. He reportedly desires a more stable situation, which has not been applicable to the Jets for several years. However, it is fair to wonder how much Rodgers contributed to the Jets’ instability over the past two years, between the arduous process for his acquisition, his subsequent influence over team personnel decisions, and his struggles to remain healthy.
Most signs are pointing to a mutual parting of ways after this season, with league executives predicting that the Jets will designated Rodgers as a post-June 1 release during the offseason, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The team’s new head coach and/or general manager may prefer to move on from Rodgers and look for a new quarterback around whom they can rebuild. Rodgers would then be a 41-year-old free agent coming off the worst two-year stretch of his career and may not draw as much interest compared to when he wanted to leave Green Bay.
Every day is a damn circus with this team
I’d love it if he went to Miami we need a QB as Tua will get hurt
Woody should resolve the drama by selling the team. Then, they can get rid of the other cancer when the offseason starts.
He’s to busy settling lawsuits for his cancer causing body powder than do care about his cancerous football team…
“He has refused medical scans on his leg injuries to avoid revealing their severity so he can keep playing…”
Yeah, that definitely seems like an intelligent idea. I’ve never understood this. Do people like Rodgers and Tua realize that life persists after football, or do they just not care?
This is America. They can do what they want. You’re not their boss. You need to worry about you what your wife is doing while you’re at work and your kids
That was uncalled for.
We found Aaron’s account.
To my thinking, a player who is refusing medical scans should not be entitled to any support from the NFLPA.
AR refusing scans is so weird.
I understand being a tough guy NFL player, but this team is toast. What is the point?
I suspect he is more concerned with his FA status? IDK, just guessing.
But the team also has some right to see scans, and they are not pushing too hard for them either?
This team….
A real lovefest.