Major headlines are all a part of the NFL offseason experience, and the latest bomb just dropped on Thursday.
The New York Jets have revealed that four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will no longer be their starting quarterback going forward. According to Packers writer Eric Allen, the front office let Rodgers know last week that he won't be returning for the 2025 season.
"It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures," the Jets said in their official statement. "We want to thank him for the leadership, passion, and dedication he brought to the organization and wish him success moving forward."
We have informed Aaron Rodgers that we will be moving in a different direction at quarterback.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) February 13, 2025
ESPN's Rich Cimini reports that "the Jets are likely to release Rodgers with a post-June 1 designation." Following this path would see the 41-year-old signal-caller free to sign with any new team on March 13 as long as he's still on New York's roster the previous day.
Browns Must Target Aaron Rodgers in Free Agency
Assuming that he does hit the open market next month, the Browns would be foolish not to target Rodgers for their QB1 role — especially as Deshaun Watson's future is up in the air.
The Browns' quarterback situation has been a mess due to Watson's inability to stay on the field, making just 19 starts across the last three seasons. Although Rodgers isn't close to being spring chicken, the 10-time Pro Bowl gunslinger displayed his impressive bounce-back ability by starting in all 17 of the Jets' games last season despite coming off a season-ending Achilles tear.
Some fans might argue to stick with Watson due to his being 12 years younger than Rodgers, however, a comparison between each quarterback's last 17 games shows that rolling with the latter might actually give the Browns a better shot at making next year's playoffs.
Aaron Rodgers' Last 17 Games | Deshaun Watson's Last 17 Games | |
|---|---|---|
Passing yards | 3,897 | 2,958 |
Passing TDs | 28 | 18 |
Interceptions | 11 | 10 |
Completion rate | 63.0% | 61.5% |
Passer rating | 90.5 | 82.0 |
Yards per completion | 10.6 | 9.8 |
Even if he declines over the offseason, it's clear that Rodgers is a more effective QB at this stage of his career compared to Watson. Signing the future Pro Football Hall of Famer to a one-year contract makes a ton of sense, especially if the Browns don't want to rush a rookie quarterback into a situation that he isn't necessarily ready for.
Any potential interest the Browns might have in Rodgers will be revealed the closer we get to free agency. Even if he's no longer an MVP candidate, he still has enough juice in the tank to improve Cleveland's postseason odds.
The Browns could certainly use that boost considering how they currently own the fourth-worst Super Bowl 60 odds (+15000) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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