The New York Jets are at a crossroads.
New York recently brought in Aaron Glenn to be the team’s next head coach and Darren Mougey to be the team’s general manager. Right when the Jets brought both to town, the organization’s next biggest question obviously was the future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
It sounds like the team has made a decision. Reports started to circulate on Sunday that New York in fact be moving on from the future Hall of Famer. Why is this the case? FOX Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that the team is moving on from Rodgers more so because of cap implications rather than his play on the field.
“Sources: The Jets moving on from Aaron Rodgers wasn’t necessarily about his play — it was more so about his contract and the significant dead money that would remain whenever they eventually parted ways,” Schultz said. “New GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn want to take the hit now and start fresh.”
He’s currently still under contract with New York for the 2025 season. The team hasn’t made an official announcement of any kind yet. His cap hit for the 2025 season would be $23.5 million and he has a $35 million roster option bonus that would have to be exercised before the next campaign. Rodgers also has a $49 million dead cap number.
If released or traded, that $49 million dead cap number will still play a role with the team, but it can be spread out across two seasons if he’s designated as a June 1 cut.
Clearly, there are a lot of hoops to jump through cap-wise. Over The Cap currently has the Jets with just over $20.9 million in cap space before letting Rodgers go (if the team does go through with that).
