At a time when signs point to a potential parting of the ways between the Jets and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the next question becomes whether he’ll land with a new team for 2025.
There’s already plenty of dot-connecting chatter linking Rodgers to the Raiders.
While he’d be an upgrade over who they currently have — and possibly the best-short term option they’ll find — the move makes little sense for Rodgers.
Through two years, his post-Packers career has been a disaster. In 2023, he played four snaps. In 2024, he had five wins (his fewest as a most-of-season starter) with the lowest qualifying passer rating of his career.
The Raiders currently have: (1) Maxx Crosby; (2) Brock Bowers; and (3) not a whole lot more. They’re not horrible, but they’re stuck in the only division in the AFC that produced three playoff teams in 2024.
While it would be great to finally get a Mahomes vs. Rodgers game, it would not be an ideal final chapter to Rodgers’s legacy to sign on for what likely won’t be an immediate fix.
Yes, having Rodgers will repair things faster. But to what end? An 8-9 record? Maybe 9-8 and a game of tiebreaker Plinko for a spot in the playoffs?
Rodgers will want to play for a potential postseason team. The Titans will have a much easier path. The Steelers will have a tougher road than Tennessee but easier than Las Vegas. Even the Saints would give him a better chance to get to the postseason and, given the fact that he wouldn’t have to face Mahomes or Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow in the postseason, a better chance to win a January game or two.
In the end, Rodgers might decide to call it quits. However, it’s hard to think any all-time great would want the final chapter of his story to be the last two years in New York.
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