Aaron Rodgers.
Al Bello/Getty ImagesThe future looked bright Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets earlier in the season — but now the veteran quarterback is left wondering if he has a future at all.
Rodgers, 41, and the Jets lost 40-14 to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Dec. 29, the team’s 6th loss in 7 games, which dropped their overall season record to an extremely disappointing 4-12.
During CBS’ telecast of Sunday’s game, the legendary play-by-play analyst Jim Nantz found out how Rodgers responded when asked about his future in New York.
“He looked us straight in the eye and said, ‘I really don’t know.’ I’m going to take some time,’” Nantz, 65, said.
Rodgers is still under contract with the Jets through the end of next season. The team could decide to move on from the legendary quarterback, which would put a huge financial burden on the franchise. There’s also a chance Rodgers just decides to leave on his own.
After Sunday’s game, Rodgers told reporters that the loss was a microcosm of the Jets all year.
“I mean, it’s kind of like the season, he just got away from us,” he said. “Many games got away from us. We were moving the ball and then we hit a wall and that was the season.”
The Jets fired the coach Robert Saleh in October after a 2-3 start, but the team has won just two games since the interim coach’s tenure Jeff Ulbrich. The team traded for Rodgers’ friend and former Green Bay Packers teammate Davante Adams later that month, but the Jets’ offense has continued to sputter since the trade.
In short, nothing has helped to right the sinking ship.
During an appearance on ESPN The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Dec. 23, Rodgers said the Jets would be his “first choice” if he decides to play next season.
During Aaron Rodgers’ rookie season with the Green Bay Packers, his relationship with teammate Brett Favre needed a lot of thawing. Rodgers, 41, was drafted 24th overall by the Packers in the 2005 NFL Draft, a surprising drop for a player widely expected to go in the top 5. While before the Packers (…)
“I think there’s a world where they just say, ‘Hey, thanks, we’re going in a different direction’ on Jan. 6,” Rodgers told McAfee, 37, referring to the day after the regular season ends Jets. “This is an opportunity.”
The Jets close out the regular season on Sunday, Jan. 5, against the Miami Dolphins.
Whatever happens, Rodgers said he doesn’t plan to make an immediate decision about his future.
“I’m going to take some time after the year — if I’m not released right away,” Rodgers said Wednesday, Dec. 18, in an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “But I will still take some time whether I want to play or not. It’s going to take some time to get away from it, anyway.”
