New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers showed his appreciation for his offensive linemen at Christmas by giving each of them a special gift.
Each player received a customized suit, cologne, and sunglasses from designer Tom Ford, a Louis Vuitton passport holder, and a Bose portable speaker. Additionally, there was a bottle of Devils River bourbon placed in each player’s locker.
“Santa Rodgers is the best gift giver on the team,” said center Joe Tippmann.
Rodgers has contributed a lot to the Jets in his two seasons with the team. He’s brought attention to the team with the show “Hard Knocks” in 2023, made a voluntary $34 million pay cut to help with salary cap flexibility, and had the most publicized Achilles surgery and recovery since Kobe Bryant.
There have also been many off-the-field stories, including rumors about him running for vice president and an unapproved trip to Egypt. But, despite all of this, the one thing the Jets have lacked is wins.
Rodgers, 41, will play against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in what could be his final game with the Jets and possibly his last game as an NFL player. His record as the Jets’ starting quarterback stands at 5-12, which is a .294 winning percentage. This is worse than his predecessor, Zach Wilson, whose record was 12-21 with a .363 winning percentage.
The simple truth is that the Jets have performed worse with Rodgers than without him, which seemed impossible on April 26, 2023, when he was introduced to the team. At that time, he promised to bring another Super Bowl trophy to the Jets, which would have added to their only Super Bowl III trophy.
“Obviously, I don’t think this season will be talked about in a well-liked manner,” said cornerback D.J. Reed.
In Rodgers’ entire football career, which includes four MVP awards and a Super Bowl win with the Green Bay Packers, this marks the first time he hasn’t helped a team make it to the playoffs at least once during his time with them.
Interestingly, despite the team’s struggles, Rodgers is about to finish one of the best statistical passing seasons in Jets history.
Rodgers was sitting on his stool in the locker room, signing items for fans. The room was mostly empty, and the players there were much younger than him. To them, he was like the quarterback they controlled in their Madden video game. With his older face and graying beard, he looked out of place.
It was mid-November. The season wasn’t going well, and Rodgers’ left leg was bothering him from injuries to his hamstring and knee. He was wearing a jacket with a fur collar, making it seem like he was about to leave, but he kept sitting and signing items for fans, including a Wisconsin license plate.
A reminder of past success.
“People will remember his two different legacies,” said former Packers fullback John Kuhn, who played with Rodgers for nine years, including their Super Bowl win in the 2010 season.
“They’ll remember Aaron Rodgers — incredible talent, incredible competitor, the sometimes polarizing figure of the NFL. And they’ll remember the not-so-fond years in New York, where one was wasted on a turf injury and one was wasted by a dysfunctional organization.”
Rodgers’ place in football history is secure. In addition to his MVP awards and Super Bowl ring, he also won a Super Bowl MVP and ranks in the top 10 in nearly every major passing stat. Simply put, he’s on track to be a first-ballot entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Two difficult seasons with the Jets shouldn’t erase his legacy. Still, some images are hard to forget. Joe Namath, who is closely linked with the Jets, is still remembered by older fans and purists for his time with the Los Angeles Rams in 1977, even though that was a tough final season for him.
“A very difficult transition,” Namath once said, regretting the move.
Will Rodgers’ time with the Jets hurt his legacy?
Jets QBs: Brett Favre vs. Aaron Rodgers
| Favre (2008) | Rodgers (2024) |
|---|---|
| Age | 39 |
| Starts | 16 |
| Pass yards | 3,472 |
| Completions | 343 |
| TD passes | 22 |
| Yards/attempt | 6.7 |
| Record | 9-7 |
“To me, it’s just a small mark,” said a former NFC general manager. “In time, it will be forgotten. It’s the Jets. Favre played there. Did that hurt his legacy?”
Former Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick added, “His legacy won’t be affected by his time with the Jets. He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks of our time.”
Even though Rodgers struggled with injuries, he is still known as one of the best pure passers ever, and his stats prove it. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is the best in NFL history – more than four touchdowns for every interception (499 touchdowns to 115 interceptions).
With 62,678 yards, he needs just 115 more to pass Matt Ryan and move into seventh place on the all-time passing yards list.
“I mean, my God, he’s done everything, he’s won everything,” said former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason. “His stats are incredible. Those two years with the Jets – if it even was two years – will be a sad chapter in his career because of the injury. It’s too bad he couldn’t do what Manning and Brady did and go to another team to win a Super Bowl.”
Ah, yes, the injury – one of the worst moments in the 65-year history of the Jets. Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon on just the fourth play of the 2023 season. Rodgers often talks about how the universe speaks to him. In this case, it was sending a loud warning. He was never the same after September 11, 2023.
Despite everything, Rodgers made a quick recovery, but the injury affected his ability to move around. Instead of escaping the pocket to make plays, something that used to be one of his strengths, he was often trapped, like a magician who can’t get out of a trick.
The problem got worse after he hurt his hamstring in October, and some of his teammates started to wonder if he should even be playing. But Rodgers pushed through, refusing to let the injury stop him.
“To see that guy out there, dragging his leg around and pushing forward, it gave me hope,” said offensive tackle Morgan Moses. “You can’t question his love of the game.”
Maybe his teammates were inspired, but the Jets didn’t play better. As the losses kept piling up, the criticism of Rodgers grew louder. Even with a late-season surge, he ranked 25th out of 33 starting quarterbacks in Total QBR (48.3), continuing the mediocre performance he had in his last season with Green Bay (2022).
The Achilles surgery and the months of rehab took a toll on him, both physically and mentally.
“Really, since September 11 last year, it feels like I’ve been rehabbing,” he said, admitting he was disappointed with how he played.
Rodgers had boldly said before the season that people would lose their jobs if he didn’t perform well. Unfortunately, that prediction came true. Coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas were fired during the season, and the Jets never recovered.
Rodgers took the changes hard. He had supported their return at the end of the previous season, and now his foundation – the one he had built – was being torn apart by the impatient team owner, Woody Johnson.
Rodgers’ close friend, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, was demoted despite Rodgers trying to protect him. Because of that, Rodgers’ influence in the organization started to fade.
“He doesn’t have a pot to piss in,” said one person close to the situation.
From the time the Jets started pursuing Rodgers until their honeymoon phase, the team worked hard to make him feel at home. They hired his favorite coach, Nathaniel Hackett, brought in two of his former receivers from Green Bay (Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb), and allowed him to install his preferred offensive system.
The goal was to help Rodgers adjust to his later years in football and, ideally, end the Jets’ 14-year playoff drought, the longest in major American sports.
“When he walked into that building, everybody looked at him like he was the god that was going to fix everything,” said Boomer Esiason.
However, as a player in his 40s, coming off a major injury, Rodgers hasn’t been able to perform at his usual high level. He can show flashes of his old self for a quarter or half of a game, but not for a full game. There have been times, like in the loss to the Buffalo Bills where he threw two interceptions, when Rodgers looked outmatched.
In a game where the Jets were down 33-0 in the fourth quarter and on the verge of falling to a 4-12 record, Rodgers suggested to interim coach Jeff Ulbrich that Tyrod Taylor should take his place. Rodgers spent nearly the entire fourth quarter on the bench, often sitting by himself. He looked like Joe Namath did in his final season with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Jets had hoped that Rodgers would be the leader, using his experience to help win the strategic battles of each game, cover up team weaknesses, and bring out the best in the younger players.
But they didn’t expect the defense to underperform. The defense had given up fourth-quarter leads in six losses, and early in the season, kicker Greg Zuerlein’s missed kicks contributed to three losses.
Of course, most of the blame has fallen on Rodgers, partly because of his polarizing public persona. He hasn’t been able to perform in crucial moments, failing to complete four potential game-winning drives in the final minutes.
But can he really be blamed for the 131 penalties the Jets have committed, the most in the league? Or for the poor game management?
Rodgers’ leadership has often been questioned. None of his teammates have said anything negative about him publicly, perhaps out of fear of losing his trust. When asked about him, players only offer positive comments.
“I feel like he’s a guy that’s definitely misunderstood,” said Reed, adding that it’s a privilege to play with someone of Rodgers’ level.
“People have their ups and downs and things to say about him,” Moses said. “But the only thing I can talk about is how I see him every day in this workplace — dealing with injuries, dealing with the uncertainty of coaching changes and just being a staple in the locker room.”
Behind closed doors, some teammates have noticed his body language when a player makes a mistake or misses an assignment. It happened during the game on Sunday when Rodgers threw his arms up after a bad pass to tight end Kenny Yeboah, a ball thrown at his feet. One player said, “It’s like, ‘Come on, man, we’re all in this together.'”
Rodgers’ relationship with wide receiver Garrett Wilson has also raised some concerns. This started in training camp with arguments on the field.
While they tried to explain these as just competitive moments, the tension between them has continued. In recent weeks, Wilson has been frustrated with Rodgers, especially as Rodgers has leaned on his old friend Davante Adams as his main receiver. Wilson denied the rumors of a rift between them, saying there’s “no truth” to it.
Rodgers also made waves when he criticized former teammate Mike Williams. After a Week 6 loss to the Bills, Rodgers called out Williams for running the wrong route on a critical interception late in the game.
The play, which became known as the “red line” issue, led to Rodgers explaining in detail that Williams had been supposed to run a vertical route marked by a red line, but instead, he ran an in-breaking route. This play marked the end of Williams’ brief time with the Jets.
The day after that incident, the Jets traded for Adams, and Williams was sent to the Pittsburgh Steelers a few weeks later.
“The Mike Williams red line saga was a tough look on his leadership,” said Ryan Fitzpatrick. “He will take the blame in press conferences, but a lot of times it feels empty to me because of his field body language and eye rolls during the game.”
Fitzpatrick, who retired after the 2021 season and analyzed Rodgers as a Prime Video analyst, came to this conclusion:
“I’m sure most of his teammates really like being around him and gravitate to his energy,” Fitzpatrick said. “I know for a fact he treats people the right way in the building, which is great to hear, but he has become such a polarizing figure — because you’re either with him or you aren’t.”
Fitzpatrick added, “If you’re not [with him], then you’re stupid [in Rodgers’ eyes] — a weird, childish stance that I have to imagine alienates a lot of people once you stop having daily interactions with him.”
Despite some uneven performances, Rodgers will still finish among the Jets’ top performers for a single season in a few categories. He’s currently ranked fifth in Total QBR (48.3), sixth in passing yards (3,623), and ninth in touchdown passes (24).
With a good game on Sunday, he could finish in the top five in all three categories. If he has an outstanding game, he could even challenge Joe Namath’s Jets record of 4,007 passing yards from 1967, becoming only the second Jets quarterback to throw for over 4,000 yards. Rodgers needs 385 more yards to break Namath’s record.
However, there’s a catch: The Jets’ quarterback history isn’t very impressive. In fact, you’d have to go all the way back to 1972 to find the last Jets quarterback (Namath) who received an MVP vote.
“A lot of his season has been plagued by injury,” said Adams about Rodgers. “I don’t want to say ‘plagued,’ but that’s been something he’s fought through. Obviously, he hasn’t been able to put his best product out there.
“He’s been one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game, and, no matter what happens from this moment on, you can’t take that away from him. Being 40 years old and playing at the level expected, that’s not easy to do. But he’s done a hell of a job statistically, trying to bounce back.”
Rodgers is feeling healthier than he did earlier in the season, and over the past four weeks, he’s thrown for the seventh-most passing yards in the league (996). This has sparked some discussions about him possibly returning in 2025.
A lot of that decision will depend on the new general manager and coach, as well as Rodgers himself, who has said he’s undecided about playing next year. His uncertain relationship with owner Woody Johnson may make things more complicated.
It seems that Johnson is ready to move on, according to people familiar with his thinking. One person even said they’d be “shocked” if Johnson allows Rodgers to return.
Rodgers has talked about the possibility of being released, almost as if he’s challenging the team to do it. He recently made a comment about Johnson’s teenage son being involved in the football side of things, which probably didn’t go over well with the owner.
Rodgers has said he plans to take some time during the offseason before deciding whether to retire or not. Clearly, he wants to have control over his own future.
“Whether he wants to play another year or not, he’s a Hall of Famer and an MVP, and you can’t take that away from him,” said Moses. “One thing about record books and stats and stuff like that: You can try to strip a guy of his records, but you can’t strip the guy of the hardware. And he’s got a lot of it.”
Rodgers has called these past two years “the best two years of my life,” in a spiritual sense, meaning he has formed new friendships and gained a new appreciation for the game. He wishes there had been more victories, and so does the fan base. Sadly, the universe, which is often unkind to the Jets, hasn’t been generous this time.
