End Of an Era?

By Eddie Castro
There are just two weeks left in the 2024-25 NFL season. The season will officially end for the New York Jets in two weeks. The team currently has a win-loss record of 4-11, which puts them in third place in the AFC East division. Missing the playoffs yet again this year will now mark 14 straight seasons the Jets have done so, which sadly is the longest current playoff drought in ALL four major sports.

There were many high expectations for this current Jets team, but as we all know, in sports, sometimes talent does not equal chemistry. Moving forward, the franchise will undergo a complete makeover as owner Woody Johnson will search for a new General Manager and Head Coach. With new management expected to be in place, what does that mean for the future of quarterback Aaron Rodgers?

Let’s be honest, OTP Universe, the Aaron Rodgers experiment here in New York did not pan out the way Jets fans thought it would. The acquisition of Rodgers via trade from the Green Bay Packers was supposed to be a culture changer. His resume (Rodgers) speaks for Itself. He’s a 4-time NFL league MVP and a Super Bowl champion.

He has also been selected to the Pro-bowl 10 times in his soon to be Hall of Fame career. In year one with the Jets, Rodgers tore his Achilles just four plays into the 2023-24 season. This season, the 20-year Veteran’s play saw a significant decline and, therefore, has left questions regarding his future. These next two games could be his last in a Jets Gotham green uniform or perhaps the last games of his NFL career. Rodgers will be 42 next December.

Either way, if the Jets decide to retain Rodgers for the 2025 campaign or if he is cut or decides to retire, it will be a pretty penny for the organization. Now, let’s say Rodgers decides to hang up the cleats after 20 seasons, or he is cut off and released. It will be a cap hit of $49 million dollars. If he decides to return, the salary cap charge will be $23.5 million. The Jets would owe Rodgers a $2.5 base salary and a $35 million option bonus. The decision to retain or keep Rodgers comes down to a few things.

Will the new GM and head coach see him as a part of the planning? Two, does management feel he can still play at an elite level? The more important question is, does Rodgers think he can still compete at a high level? Regardless of what happens, the organization will have different leaders at the helm. A rebuilding process is more likely in the works. Hopefully, this process will finally get the Jets toward becoming a playoff-caliber franchise.

SPORTS NOTES: (FOOTBALL) There are two games left in the season for both the Jets and Giants. The Jets will head to Buffalo to play the Bills. The Giants will play the Colts. (BASKETBALL) The Knicks will battle the Washington Wizards on Monday night.