Aaron Rodgers is searching for a new opportunity after the New York Jets decided they do not want him back, and it does not sound like the star quarterback has very many options at this point.
Rodgers is expected to be released by the Jets in the coming days. There are a handful of teams that need a new starting quarterback in 2025, and Rodgers has reportedly reached out to at least one of them.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes it is far from a guarantee that any team will want Rodgers as its next starter. During Thursday morning’s edition of “Get Up,” Schefter said the Los Angeles Rams would have been Rodgers’ best option. That option is no longer available after Matthew Stafford agreed to a deal to remain in L.A.
Aaron Rodgers in Jets gear
Dec 10, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) on the field after the game against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
“That was the worst-case scenario for him, because that would have been a tailor-made perfect situation in L.A. where he’s got a home playing for Sean McVay for a team that’s ready to win out,” Schefter said, via Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report. “It didn’t happen.”
The New York Giants have been mentioned as possibly the best suitor for Rodgers. Schefter said he does not view it as a “lock” that the Giants want Rodgers. The same goes for the Las Vegas Raiders.
“So if it’s not New York, where is it? I don’t see Aaron Rodgers in Indianapolis or Cleveland or Tennessee. I don’t know that I see him in Las Vegas. And there are not an abundance of options,” Schefter added. “Aaron Rodgers’ best option may just be to wait and see if there’s a quarterback injury, a quarterback issue, a quarterback situation that we don’t see today on March 6 that could materialize on March 16 or April 16.”
None of that should come as a surprise. Rodgers is 41 and nowhere near the type of player he was during his MVP prime. The mobility that used to help him terrorize defenses is barely existent in the wake of the torn Achilles he suffered at the start of 2023.
Rodgers played fairly well down the stretch last season and finished with 3,897, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Though he looked stronger as the year went on, the Jets still finished 5-12.
There is one reason Rodgers could have some appeal to contending teams, but the reality is he may not be Option A for anyone.