What Went Wrong with Aaron Rodgers?
Aaron Rodgers is one of the last remaining quarterbacks of an era that included legends like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger. Rodgers would solidify himself as one of the best, spending 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. During this time, he would lead the Packers to 11 playoff appearances and one Super Bowl victory. Rodgers would then join the New York Jets in 2023, where he would get injured in the first few plays of game one, sidelining him for the entire year. Unfortunately for the Jets, 2024 wouldn’t see much more success for their team.
Rodgers would play the entire 2024 season, but the Jets would ultimately end up 5-12 and once again miss the playoffs for the 14th straight year. While it was a tough season for the team, Rodgers would still throw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In what is considered a down year for the veteran quarterback, could very well be considered a superstar year for other quarterbacks in the league. While it may not have been the stat line that went wrong for Rodgers and the Jets, the personal connections to the quarterback and the rest of the team may have ended Rodgers time in New York very quickly.
While he shared good relations with some players in the locker room, Rodgers unfortunately wouldn’t be able to click with lots of the team including former Jets head coach Robert Saleh. This would lead to Saleh being fired five games into last season, and a downhill year from there. The culture of the Jets and the locker room would quickly become toxic, becoming very noticeable to everyone around the league. Rodgers would be accused by fans for trying to run the team himself and make changes as if he was the general manager. The demeanor of players like Sauce Gardner, would also not help these accusations against Rodgers. New York would hire new head coach Aaron Glenn, who would be bringing a new identity to the organization. This unfortunately for Rodgers, would not include him in future plans, being released a few weeks after the hiring. Jets fans will now look towards the 2025 season with a new head coach, while Rodgers' future still remains unknown.
