Two years ago, pundits across the country were losing their talking heads over Aaron Rodgers signing with the New York Jets — and for good reason. Aside from following the Brett Favre trail, the Jets felt like a good fit for the aging, albeit still dynamic, quarterback. The Jets seemed to be ascending and no more than a QB away from being a serious contender.
However, four plays into the 2023 season and history would have to wait when Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles against the Buffalo Bills. So too did the media have to wait, and they did until 2024, picking back up the narrative that this is the Jets’ time to shine.
Unfortunately for Gang Green, despite Rodgers playing reasonably well down the stretch, the 2024 season ended about as abysmally as the previous year.
Aaron Rodgers Jets Out of New York: Analysts Debate
Now, with NFL free agency opening and Rodgers on his way out, it’s safe to say the failed experiment is over. The only question now is where the former world champion will land.
While not quite as long in the tooth as Tom Brady was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rodgers certainly isn’t getting any younger, so there’s little doubt that he will be chasing one more ring before retiring. This has sparked plenty of debate around whether a certain AFC contender should be in the mix for Rodgers’ services, and it appears that debate has gotten pretty heated.
Stephen A. Smith & Chris Canty debate Aaron Rodgers landing in Pittsburgh #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/O2R8oYrG6T
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) February 20, 2025
“I ain’t saying Aaron Rodgers is washed, but if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, then damn it, it’s a duck,” Chris Canty said.
Canty had some strong words about Rodgers if we are to look beyond the name and solely at the quarterback. Of course, Stephen A. Smith was looking to make Canty understand that it may not have been all on Rodgers last year.
“These are the Jets we’re talking about,” he argued. “Fourteen consecutive years they’ve missed the playoffs. They fire a coach in the middle of the season. … It’s very, very chaotic.”
Smith has a point, contrasting the Jets’ organization with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spoke on Rodgers’ stats down the stretch last year and acknowledged that the fault did not fully lie on Rodgers, who had a season grade of 72.2 (21st in the NFL), according to PFSN’s QB+ metric, while elevating the Jets to a middle-tier offensive season despite trending inside the bottom five in recent years.
“Juxtapose that to the Steelers’ situation … it hasn’t looked like vintage Aaron Rodgers, but he isn’t the only reason it hasn’t looked that way,” Smith said. He explained that a much more favorable situation for Rodgers would be in Pittsburgh, including the roster and having Mike Tomlin in the locker room.
Rodgers’ Fit on the Pittsburgh Steelers
While nowhere near the level of chaos in New York, the Steelers’ season didn’t entirely end as many had hoped it would either. They are still waiting on their first postseason victory since the 2016 season. Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields had some moderate success when given the chance, but neither has done anything to show they are the future in Pittsburgh.
This means that Tomlin will likely work with a new quarterback in 2025 after a 25th-place finish in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Rodgers could be a compelling immediate answer if the organization feels ready to win. It’s interesting how Rodgers would fit with Tomlin and Co., likely having to check his notorious ego at the door.
Nevertheless, while the pundits continue to debate where Rodgers will ultimately land, we can assume a move from New York is best for all involved. Of course, there is never any certainty with Rodgers, and perhaps that’s why we’ll be watching.