Former Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Spurned by Legendary AFC Team

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

It appears that former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ run with the New York Jets may be over after just two years, and finding a new team could prove difficult.

Jets owner Woody Johnson is in the process of interviewing candidates to fill openings at both general manager and head coach, and the turnover at the top of the organization may bring a shift under center. Rodgers acknowledged that on the January 16 edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“I think everybody understands that it’s gonna come down to the GM, coach and myself,” Rodgers said. “Whether we all want to do a dance together, or if it’s not in the cards.”

New York went 5-12 this season. And while Rodgers played better toward the end of the season, he was still mediocre (at best) by modern NFL standards.

That’s probably not the kind of dance partner the team’s new leadership regime is going to want for its first season at the helm, especially because Rodgers will turn 42 years old late next year. Those same flaws are also potential obstacles to signing with other organizations, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers who may need a new signal-caller in 2025.

“I can tell you that it won’t be Aaron Rodgers,” Gary Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette told Rich Eisen Thursday of who the Steelers’ next QB will be. “They have no interest in doing that.

Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams Trade Package Floated as Option for Pittsburgh

GettyNew York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams (left) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right).

There is a case for Pittsburgh trying to make a one-year run with Rodgers considering how weak the free agent and draft classes are at the position this offseason.

On Friday, Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report floated the idea of the Steelers pursuing both Rodgers and former Packers wide receiver Davante Adams as a package deal.

“Rodgers’ MVP-caliber years are behind him, but he posted decent passing numbers with the Jets last year. He threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 63.0 percent completion rate in 17 starts,” Moton wrote. “Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams also clicked well at the end of the season. Adams caught 67 passes for 854 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 contests with the Jets. Rodgers and Adams would fare better on a team that has structure. Together, they could help the Steelers field their best offense in years.”

Steelers’ Lack of Interest in Aaron Rodgers Indicative of Thin Market for QB

GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.

Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were both quarterbacks for the Steelers this season, and will be arguably the Nos. 2 and 3 free agent options, respectively, if they don’t extend with Pittsburgh before mid-March.

That puts the team in a tough position, as it moved on from Fields after a 4-2 start in favor of Wilson. He went 6-1 to begin his run, but the Steelers lost their last five contests — four of them by double digits, including their playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Wilson is in his late 30s and didn’t have a markedly better campaign than Rodgers in 2024 while also battling injury early in the year. That Pittsburgh has “no interest” in Rodgers, or potentially even in a Rodgers/Adams combo deal via a trade with New York, speaks volumes about Rodgers’ viability as a starter for any contender around the league next season.

As such, even if the four-time MVP wants to play in 2025, he may not get a chance he finds suitable — forced to either serve as a backup for a contender or start for a bad team to end his storied career.

Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible