Clues Emerge in Jets’ $49 Million Aaron Rodgers Decision

The tea leaves are turning in the saga of Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.

The Jets hired Aaron Glenn—who previously played eight seasons as defensive back for the team and most recently was defensive coordinator for the Lions—as their new head coach last week. Glenn’s first order of business will be to collaborate with new GM Darren Mougey and owner Woody Johnson on what to do about the $49 million decision the team faces with Rodgers. 

On NFL Network Sunday morning, insider Ian Rapoport said Glenn and Rodgers are both “open” to the quarterback returning for a third season with the Jets. Later in the morning, Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer relayed a conversation he had with Glenn about the topic. 

“I plan to go meet with Aaron Rodgers and will definitely come up with a decision much sooner than later. I don’t wanna drag this out,” the coach told Glazer.

At his introductory press conference Monday, Glenn revealed he has been texting with Rodgers. “As we continue to look at the roster, we will make decisions accordingly, and that’s with a number of people on the team,” Glenn said. 

During the press conference Monday, Johnson said he’d leave Rodgers’s status up to the coach and GM and would be amenable to a return if that’s what they decided.

From a cash-flow perspective, the Jets would owe Rodgers a $35 million roster bonus and $2.5 million base pay if they bring him back on his current deal. Based on money already paid out from his signing bonus, Rodgers would carry a $49 million dead-cap hit if the Jets trade or release him this offseason. That could be spread over two years if they designate his release as post–June 1, or the Jets could eat it all in 2025 like the Broncos did with Russell Wilson’s whopping $85 million dead-cap hit this past season. (Dead cap is the result of money front-loaded to players in bonuses that affects the team’s cap space when future years of the contract get voided.) 

Rodgers, 41, would be the oldest quarterback in the NFL. While the Jets went 5–12 this year, Rodgers had pretty good raw stats, throwing for 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, and completing 63% of his passes. This campaign followed a season in which Rodgers played just four snaps before tearing his Achilles in the Jets’ season opener against the Bills in 2023. 

Nevertheless, the idea that he might return represents something of a pivot from where things stood before the end of the regular season when the general consensus among Jets reporters was that the team was unlikely to run it back with Rodgers. 

For Rodgers to return, he would have to buy into a new offensive system. The Jets have not yet hired a new offensive coordinator for Glenn’s staff. 

The logic of bringing back Rodgers would hinge on several factors. The team was unlucky this past season, including losing a number of games due to kicking woes. At $37 million in cash outlays, Rodgers is relatively affordable given the current quarterback market. There are also no obvious contenders who’d be seen as an immediate upgrade. Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson are free agents, but neither is clearly a better option than Rodgers for next season.