The New York Jets apparently didn’t care whether or not Aaron Rodgers was going on ‘Goddamn Glenn Beck,’ or The Pat McAfee Show, for that matter. The Jets announced that they would be moving on from Rodgers on Thursday, in what Awful Announcing’s Brandon Contes wrote was “embarrassing.”
That announcement came on the heels of The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reporting earlier this week that Gang Green’s new regime drew a hard line in the sand regarding Rodgers’ appearances on the ex-Indianapolis Colts punter’s progrum.
According to Russini, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey set some firm expectations when they sat down with Rodgers post-season. If Rodgers were to return, he’d need to be present for all offseason team activities and cut ties with McAfee’s show.
But as is often the case with Jets drama, it’s not as simple as it seems.
No one read Russini’s report and assumed that Rodgers picked McAfee over the Jets. This was the messy conclusion of a rocky relationship, with both sides agreeing it was time to go their separate ways.
However, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport offered a different take, downplaying the idea of an ultimatum. Rapoport explained that it wasn’t so cut-and-dry; instead, the Jets outlined their expectations for Rodgers if he wanted to remain with the team.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: No, the #Jets did not release Aaron Rodgers because he refused to stop doing the @PatMcAfeeShow. They never asked him to stop and didn’t view it as a distraction. The final decision was far more collective. pic.twitter.com/A0N5A3FulJ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 14, 2025
“I know there was a report — ‘The Jets don’t want Aaron Rodgers to do The Pat McAfee Show. And if he agrees not to, then, will bring him back.’ It wasn’t like that,” Rapoport said on Thursday’s The Insiders. “First of all, I don’t think the Jets really care if he’s on The Pat McAfee Show, honestly. It just affects the PR department; it doesn’t affect anyone else.”
Mike Williams and Jimmy Kimmel would beg to differ, but the point still stands.
“It’s New York; there are plenty of distractions elsewhere,” he continued. “It was really more like, ‘Well if you go on that, could you use maybe a little more discretion.’ They can’t tell him to show up to OTAs — that’s not allowed, but it’s like, ‘We’d like you to be around more.’ It really seemed like, over the course of several discussions… it all became clear that this was just not the direction to go. I think by the time that they had Aaron Rodgers come to New Jersey and really talk face-to-face, it was clear from both sides that this was not going to work.”
Essentially, the Jets wanted Rodgers to be more present but weren’t trying to force him to comply. Over the course of multiple discussions, it became clear that both sides recognized the situation wasn’t going to work.
Despite backlash from some of Rapoport’s followers, who criticized Russini’s reporting due to a perceived vendetta and her occasional negative coverage of the Jets, Rapoport stood by her account. According to him, the Jets and Rodgers had conversations about next season, including discussions about offseason workouts and outside media, such as McAfee’s show. But there were no ultimatums.
To be clear, @DMRussini’s report is true — aggregators took it and changed it all. The Jets and Rodgers talked about what next season would look like if he were to come back. It included conversations about offseason workouts and outside media, including McAfee. No ultimatums. https://t.co/omqd9eartS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 14, 2025
Ironically, Rodgers had previously disputed a Russini report himself, insinuating that she lacked journalistic integrity for reporting that he would leave the Jets.
As fate would have it, he would leave the Jets a few months later.
Media outlets may have framed Rodgers’ departure in a thousand different ways, but the reality came down to both sides realizing they were no longer aligned. Whether it was about offseason expectations, The Pat McAfee Show appearances, or something deeper, the Jets and Rodgers are parting ways.
