Every sporting hero doesn’t always receive the respect of the past when the present is so bleak. Aaron Rodgers has enough in the locker to be a legend, with four MVPs and a Super Bowl. However, all good things come to an end.
Rodgers is now 41 years old. After 18 stellar years at Green Bay Packers, he decided to move to the New York Jets for one final fling in the Big Apple. It was supposed to be a dream move to get the Jets back in the big time after last winning the Super Bowl in the same year that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Four snaps into the season, the hall of fame tore his Achilles, and that was the end of the sunny narrative.
Rodgers came back for 2024, and he made it pay for his frustration with just under 3,900 passing yards, the third most ever from a signal caller for the Green and White. However, the great man couldn’t prevent a 5-12 season, which was nowhere near enough. It’s not a fun time to be in the Big Apple with the equally inept Giants delivering a horrible 3-14 season.
One headline read, “Even Aaron Rodgers Can’t Save the Jets From Themselves.” The content of that piece then exploded into anger: “They’re a terrible football team. You can change the quarterback, the offensive line, the defense, the playmakers, the coaching staff — you can change it all. Nothing matters, and nothing ever changes. ”
The Jets decided to fire coach Robert Saleh in an early move to try and generate a reaction, but the season then descended into more defeats, and Rodgers was as culpable as anyone. In the first 10 games, so key for the chances of any motion towards the playoffs, the veteran threw seven interceptions, the lowest passer rating of his career, and didn’t manage to throw for 300 yards in any of them.
The Jets finished 7-10 in Saleh’s last two seasons, so the overall record dived in output. It was inescapable that Rodgers couldn’t find the spark or some of his former glories to rewire the team. Now, a decision is to be made, and the man with the throwing arm knows it.
Rodgers’s performance against the Buffalo Bills was a chastening experience, including a throw at Kenny Yeboah’s feet. The poor body language was noticeable but not surprising, given that he was ranked 30th out of 32 for the QB Index rankings that week. It felt and looked like a last hurrah.
The stars of the quarterback role these days are the electrically fast and athletic Lamar Jackson, the pinpoint laser passing of Jared Goff, and the physically adroit Josh Allen, who can spin situations with his web of tricks. These QBs have all ensured their teams are among the favorites in the Super Bowl odds.
There have been too many penalties and fumbles compared to the explosive offense of the Ravens and the Bills. The coaching team has been so taken with the needs of Rodgers that the running game has slipped off the standards needed to compete with the elite. The game has moved on in many ways.
There will be an offseason where change occurs in multiple areas, including the coach (again) and a general manager. From what Rodgers has said out loud, he’s already ready for it. “I’m just more resigned to the reality of the situation. I think there will be change here, and if I’m a part of the change, I want to make sure everybody knows I have nothing but gratitude for my time here,” he told ESPN.
Whatever happens within the New York Jets hierarchy, Rodgers may decide that his time is up with the game. Currently, only four players in the NFL are 40 years and over. Tom Brady was still mixing it in his mid-40s, but Rodgers is bound to have been physically affected by such a serious injury late in his career.
He hasn’t lost all the magic, but the flame seems only flickering now. It’s not enough to tie down another season in charge of such a key position, even though his contract runs until 2025. He could still play if there’s a taker out there.
At least the send-off – if that is his final game – was a memorable one as Rodgers threw his 500th career touchdown pass in NFL history against the Miami Dolphins. Not many have done that before, and not many will do so in the future. Rodgers has a limited shelf life after two decades at the top.
