The New York Jets are moving on from Aaron Rodgers, and their gracious gratitude implies the quarterback delivered on all the hype and expectations he brought with him from Green Bay.
As fans read statements from the Jets thanking Rodgers for “everything you’ve given us the past two years,” they’ll have to jog their memories to make sure they’re not misremembering the disasters that were the last couple of seasons. Because, as far as most Jets fans are concerned, it’s hard to find anything to thank Rodgers for.
For everything you’ve given us the past two years, thank you 8 🤟 pic.twitter.com/JvPneWMgEI
— New York Jets (@nyjets) February 13, 2025
“I will forever be grateful that he chose to join us to continue his Hall of Fame career,” Woody Johnson said in a statement. “From day one, he embodied all that it meant to be a New York Jet, embraced our fans, and immersed himself in our city. That is what I will remember most.”
Most Jets fans will not remember that, and I certainly will not. Rodgers will be remembered for his polarizing Pat McAfee interviews, for battling insiders, and for acting like the Jets’ failures were everyone else’s but his. But he won’t be remembered for embracing this franchise and its fans.
I’ll remember the draft picks and nearly $100 million spent on Rodgers and Davante Adams. The demands to bring in Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Tim Boyle. Nathaniel Hackett’s disastrous tenure as offensive coordinator. And all of it amounted to five wins in two seasons with Rodgers under center. One season was over after four plays — the next, after five games.
I was enamored by the idea of acquiring Rodgers two years ago, believing he was the shot in the arm the Jets needed to finally become immunized to this losing bug they’ve suffered for over a decade. Whoops.
Once we got past the warm welcomes and started playing football, Rodgers’ entire tenure with the Jets was one giant tailspin toward failure. The Jets shouldn’t be mocked or criticized for bringing Rodgers in. They shouldn’t be mocked for attempting to make it an easy transition for a quarterback who spent 18 seasons in Green Bay. They shouldn’t be mocked for firing Robert Saleh or trading for Adams.
But thanking Rodgers? Thanking him for two disastrous seasons and pretending as if there is anything positive to remember from his tenure in New York? They deserve every bit of mockery and criticism that comes their way for this.
Rodgers joined the Jets with Super Bowl expectations, and he only fueled the hype by talking about their lone Lombardi Trophy. Never has there been a player and team with more buildup than Rodgers and the Jets, only to fall completely flat on their faces in back-to-back seasons.
His Jets tenure was one giant propaganda hype train that derailed as soon as he started throwing passes.
Say goodbye, say good riddance, say they’ve removed him as QB of the NYJ, or say nothing. But don’t say thank you. And certainly, don’t pretend there will ever be fond memories of Aaron Rodgers’ tenure as a New York Jet.
