As rumors swirl about a possible split between the Jets and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the next question is whether he’ll join a new team for 2025.
There’s already talk connecting Rodgers to the Raiders.
While he would be an improvement over their current quarterback and maybe the best short-term option they can find, the move doesn’t make much sense for Rodgers.
His time after leaving the Packers has been tough. In 2023, he played just four snaps. In 2024, he had five wins, which was his fewest in a season as a starting quarterback, and posted the lowest passer rating of his career.
The Raiders have: (1) Maxx Crosby; (2) Brock Bowers; and (3) not much else. They’re not terrible, but they’re stuck in the AFC West, the only division in 2024 that had three playoff teams.
While a Mahomes vs. Rodgers game would be exciting, joining the Raiders wouldn’t be a great ending to Rodgers’s career, especially since it’s unlikely to immediately turn things around.
Yes, Rodgers would speed up the recovery process, but what would it lead to? An 8-9 record? Maybe 9-8 and a tiebreaker battle for a playoff spot?
Rodgers will want to play for a team with a real shot at the playoffs. The Titans would offer an easier path, while the Steelers’ road is tougher but still better than the Raiders’. Even the Saints would give him a better chance of making the postseason, and facing less competition like Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Joe Burrow would give him a better chance to win a playoff game or two.
In the end, Rodgers might decide to retire. But it’s hard to imagine any all-time great would want their legacy to end with the last two years spent in New York.
