Feat. Gang Green Nation’s MacGregor Wells.
Ever since Aaron Rodgers signed with the Steelers, there’s a newfound sense of optimism for the upcoming season in most corners of the fanbase.
New York Jets fans were once in a similar spot when their team traded for the future Hall of Famer in 2023. However, instead of the franchise turning a corner, two miserable years of football followed.
To be fair, Rodgers missed all but a handful of plays of the 2023 season due to a torn Achilles, but he started all of 2024 — a five-win season for the Jets. New York released Rodgers in February 2025.
To get a more weathered perspective on the current state of all things Aaron Rodgers, I reached out to SB Nation’s own Jets site, Gang Green Nation, for their perspective. Deputy Manager MacGregor Wells was kind enough to answer my questions and relive the Jets’ dismal 2024 for this article.
You can read my questions and MacGregor’s answers below:
The Jets’ 2024 was marked by a lot of frustration and ineptitude, to put it lightly. The offense’s tape is a painful watch. How much of that mess would you put on Aaron Rodgers?
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There are direct effects and indirect effects attributable to Rodgers. Starting with the indirect effects, the Jets, as is their way under football visionary Woody Johnson, began the Rodgers era with some very stupid moves.
In order to entice Rodgers to come to the Jets, the Jets hired his former offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, to be their offensive coordinator. Hackett is a monumentally bad coach. No team in the NFL would have touched him after his run with the Denver Broncos, so of course the Jets considered him a must-have. The result was, once Rodgers signed on with the Jets, Hackett screwed up the offense, and Rodgers had free rein to basically do whatever he wanted under his buddy offensive coordinator.
In addition, the Jets signed Allen Lazard to further entice Rodgers. Lazard is a man with no discernible wide receiver skills, but he was a Friend of Aaron, so not only did he get a roster spot, he became a key part of the Jets offense. Another dumb move.
The direct effects of Rodgers were his deteriorating skills and his stubborn opposition to running a modern NFL offense. Rodgers is nowhere close to his MVP days, and it showed on the field.
He no longer is mobile. He is afraid to take a hit, resulting in a bunch of rushed throws. His arm strength, accuracy and ball placement are all diminished. He is simply no longer a top talent at the position.
Rodgers still has enough to occasionally light up bad defenses, but his limitations became very clear against good defenses. Against playoff teams the Jets averaged 13 points per game on offense with Rodgers under center. That simply should not happen on an offense featuring Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams and an offensive line that was above average for most of the season.
In addition, Rodgers took it upon himself to play hero ball. Despite his obviously diminished skills, the Jets ran the ball less than any other NFL team in 2025, and Rodgers threw the ball more than he had in all but two of his prior campaigns in his long and illustrious career. With Rodgers’ current abilities that was a road to disaster for the Jets. Rodgers simply isn’t capable of carrying a team with this arm anymore. A five win season ensued.
Ultimately the Jets’ dumb as a rock management brought this mess together, but it all started with the commitment to bring an over the hill Rodgers to the Jets, along with his posse of Friends of Aaron.
On the other hand, what are some of Rodgers strengths late in his career? What pieces will he need around him to succeed in Pittsburgh?
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Rodgers’ strengths at this point begin and end with his mind. He can still process what he’s seeing and make good decisions with the football. That’s an important part to the puzzle, but his failing body can’t always execute what his mind is processing.
To succeed with Rodgers I think you need to accept what he is at this point in his career: a game manager. He is no longer a difference maker. Don’t ask him to do too much, surround him with a strong offensive line, a good running game and a top defense and he can still manage a game, avoid costly turnovers, and win quite a few games that way.
Rodgers is a polarizing figure in the headlines. How was he perceived by his teammates and the local media during his time in New York?
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For the most part his teammates seemed to genuinely enjoy the Aaron Rodgers experience. I can’t recall anyone trashing him on his way out the door. The New York media is notoriously difficult to navigate, and at times they gave Rodgers a hard time, but overall I would say they were fairly positive towards him, probably because as much as he is a diminished figure, he still was better than the dreck the Jets have trotted out at quarterback for the past 15 years.
In your opinion, would you rather have Rodgers or Justin Fields in 2025? And do the New York media and fans feel the same way?
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I’d rather have Justin Fields. It isn’t a close decision in my opinion. That isn’t because I have some notion Fields is particularly good. I have my doubts whether Fields will ever be a long term answer at quarterback. But it’s at least possible Fields still has some upside. Rodgers is clearly on the decline and has no chance of ever being a long term answer at quarterback for anyone.
There was no point in keeping Rodgers with a young, rebuilding Jets team. Perhaps he can help a team that is otherwise ready to win now. That team wasn’t going to be the Jets.
That is far from a universal opinion among Jets fans. A substantial minority of Jets fans wanted Rodgers back, primarily because, though he wasn’t close to MVP Rodgers, he was still better than anyone the Jets have had under center for a long time.
As far as the media are concerned, most were in the camp of it was time to move on from Rodgers. Fields is now enjoying the usual honeymoon period the new guy gets until the games start and we see that he’s not the savior this franchise is looking for.
The Steelers added another former Jet this offseason: cornerback Brandin Echols. Will Jets fans miss Rodgers or Echols more this season?
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That’s a tough one. Echols was a fourth cornerback with the Jets. He was a bit player who played limited snaps, mostly when a starter was injured. I don’t think many Jets fans are mourning his departure. It barely registered in an offseason filled with major changes for the Jets. Heck, I doubt many Jets fans will even remember Echols in five years.
If you’re in the Rodgers-had-to-go camp, then maybe Echols will be missed more, simply because Rodgers won’t be missed at all. If you’re in the why-did-we-cut-the-best-quarterback-the-Jets-have-had-in-years camp, then Rodgers will be missed more than a backup cornerback, unless Justin Fields surprises to the upside and makes everyone forget about the Aaron Rodgers experience.