Tag: New York Jets

4 Aaron Rodgers destinations after the Jets let him go

With the Jets set to move on from Aaron Rodgers, these four teams could look to add the 41-year-old signal-caller in 2025.

Expectations were high for the New York Jets entering the 2024 season as Aaron Rodgers returned from a torn Achilles that cost him essentially the entire 2023 campaign. But despite a fairly productive season in which he tossed 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions with a 90.5 rating, the Jets are ready to move on from the 41-year-old.

According to FOX Sports insider Jay Glazer, Rodgers flew to New Jersey to meet with Jets management about his future and was told the team plans to proceed without him.

However, Rodgers has not indicated that he plans to retire, and the four-time NFL MVP could become a free agent this offseason. While Rodgers’ best years are behind him, he’s still a starting-caliber quarterback and a handful of teams could look to take a chance on him in 2025.

Here are four potential landing spots for the future Hall of Famer.

New York Giants

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Could Rodgers ultimately stay in the Big Apple? The New York Giants need a quarterback after moving on from Daniel Jones last season, and they currently hold the third overall pick. They sit behind a pair of quarterback-needy teams in the Tennessee Titans and the Cleveland Browns, meaning both Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders could be off the board by the time they’re on the clock.

Rodgers wouldn’t be a long-term solution, but given New York’s quarterback need and a relatively weak draft class of signal-callers, he might be just the stopgap the Giants need for 2025.

Las Vegas Raiders

Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images

The Raiders, who hold the sixth pick in the draft, find themselves in a similar situation to the Giants. Quarterback is a clear need for Las Vegas after neither Gardner Minshew II nor Aidan O’Connell looked like the answer for the future in 2024, and adding someone in the draft may not be an option.

New head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek need to figure something out for 2025, and Rodgers could raise the offensive floor quite a bit if he wants to head to Vegas.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Pittsburgh turned in another winning season and reached the playoffs in 2024 with the tag-team duo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but neither is under contract heading into 2025. The Steelers are likely set to move on to yet another starting quarterback, and with a draft selection in the 20s, this may not be the year to pick a franchise signal-caller.

After having moderate success with a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the twilight of his career, could Pittsburgh look to do the same again in 2025 with Rodgers?

Cleveland Browns

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

The blockbuster move to acquire Deshaun Watson has proved to be disastrous for Cleveland between his poor play and recurring injuries. Jameis Winston started for most of the 2024 season, in which the Browns went 3-14 and now hold the second overall pick.

They’re widely projected to take a quarterback in that spot, but with another team who needs a quarterback picking first, could Cleveland prefer to punt on a quarterback and take a player like Travis Hunter rather than land its second choice?

It’s unclear if Rodgers would even want to play in Cleveland, but if there’s a mutual interest, that could be enough to convince the Browns to add a non-quarterback piece at pick No. 2 and try their luck with him instead.

Jets make decision on legendary QB Aaron Rodgers’ future with team

The Jets appear to be moving on from Aaron Rodgers

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was reportedly informed by the team that they’ll be moving on from him in 2025, per NFL insider Jay Glazer.

That would bring an end to a two-year run for the legendary signal-caller in New York.

The Jets moved mountains in hopes of a Super Bowl run with Rodgers under center, including pulling off a blockbuster trade to acquire All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders.

But the team didn’t even make the playoffs.

Rodgers got injured in the first game of the season in 2023, and the team only won five games with him starting in all 17 games last season.

Even the struggling Patriots managed to hand Rodgers and the Jets a loss.

The Jets will presumably continue their efforts of attempting to find a franchise quarterback in light of the Rodgers situation imploding. It’s a significant blow to a team some penned as a possible Super Bowl favorite in 2024.

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Jets tell Aaron Rodgers they are moving on from quarterback

Jay Glazer reports the Jets are done with Aaron Rodgers

Super scoopage from FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer on Super Bowl Sunday.

The elite NFL Insider reported the New York Jets met with Aaron Rodgers last week and told the veteran quarterback he is not in their plans going foward.

If Rodgers is to continue his NFL career, it will be somewhere other than with Gang Green.

Rodgers was 5-12 as the Jets starting quarterback in 2024 after seeing action in one game and four plays before tearing his Achilles in 2023. He will be 42 in December so any team that is thinking about landing Rodgers will have to deal with the age factor and whether he has anything left.

 

PFF: Jets are best-landing spot for Lions’ Carlton Davis III in free agency

PFF: Jets are best-landing spot for Lions’ Carlton Davis III in free agency

The connection is clear, but despite that, the football analytical folks at Pro Football Focus are still taking that route as it relates to Calton Davis III.

Fresh off a positive season under Aaron Glenn as his defensive coordinator with the Lions, PFF suggests that Davis should follow the coach to the Jets.

Davis, an upcoming free agent, ranks as PFF’s 21st best in the entire NFL.

In 13 games played in 2024, Davis had 56 tackles, including two for loss, with two interceptions and 11 passes defended.

PFF’s breakdown on Davis to the Jets can be found below:

Before a broken jaw in Week 15 cut his season short, Davis was a standout in the Lions secondary. Through 15 weeks, his 11 forced incompletions ranked ninth in the NFL, highlighting his ability to disrupt opposing passing attacks.

Reuniting with former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, now the Jets’ head coach, could be the perfect move for Davis. Glenn’s aggressive schemes, which often rely on press coverage, play to Davis’ strengths. He allowed only seven open targets in press situations despite playing a significant number of press snaps, showcasing his ability to thrive in a physical, one-on-one role.

Latest update on Aaron Rodgers’ status with the Jets

Will Aaron Rodgers be the quarterback when the Patriots face the Jets in 2025?

Could a New England Patriots division rival be undergoing a shakeup?

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers was at the WM Phoenix Open enjoying a golf event, when he was asked about his status with his current team.

The Jets recently hired former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as their new head coach, and many have wondered what that means for Rodgers’ future in New England.

“I’m just enjoying my time right now. I’ve talked with the Jets. If we can figure things out, we’ll figure them out,” Rodgers told Golf Channel’s Kira Dixon.

One of the Patriots’ four wins came against the Rodgers-led Jets team. They eked out a 25-22 victory in Week 8 of the regular season.

Like the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, the Jets are a team the Patriots will keep a close eye on considering they face each other twice each year in the AFC East. So whether Rodgers stays or goes will be big news for the franchise.

Rodgers is coming off a 2024 season where he recorded 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Jets ultimately finished the year out with a 5-12 record and third-place ranking in the AFC East division.

Will Rodgers return in 2025, and if so, what kind of changes will the Jets make to improve their playoff chances? All eyes will be on the quarterback position in New York during the offseason.

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Report: Davante Adams would be open to playing for Rams, other West Coast teams

If the Jets release him, Davante Adams would be open to playing for West Coast teams like the Rams and Chargers

The New York Jets have a lot to sort out this offseason, from Aaron Rodgers’ future to Davante Adams’ situation. Adams is still under contract but there’s a chance the Jets will release him as they start their rebuild under new head coach Aaron Glenn.

In the event that Adams gets cut, he’ll likely be a hot commodity on the open market. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Adams would at least be open to playing for teams like the Rams and Chargers as he is intrigued by a return to the West Coast, where he is from.

Here’s what Fowler wrote about Adams’ future in his notebook for ESPN.

The Jets must address the future of receiver Davante Adams, whose $38.3 million cap hit is untenable. A source told me Adams is intrigued by a return to the West Coast and would be open to potentially joining teams such as the Rams or Chargers — if he gets released. I would put the 49ers in the conversation, too. Adams grew up in Northern California.

The Rams have their own wide receiver decisions to sort through first before even considering any potential free agents. They’re attempting to trade Cooper Kupp and plan to part ways with the veteran wideout, while Tutu Atwell and Demarcus Robinson are both pending free agents, too.

Assuming the Rams move on from Kupp and don’t re-sign Robinson or Atwell, they could be in the market for a player like Adams. Of course, Adams may not be as intrigued by the Rams if Matthew Stafford doesn’t return, so that’s another domino that needs to fall.

Reggie Bush reflects on how Drew Brees changed his career forever

Former Saints running back Reggie Bush recently discussed how important Drew Brees was to his career development

The New Orleans Saints have been lucky to have some exceptional talents walk through their doors, and two of the most notable ones from their Super Bowl victory were Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. Brees was a once in a generation type player for a franchise, and Bush was an exceptional offensive talent to counterbalance the offense and give it great versatility.

However, the Saints almost did not get Bush, with the Houston Texans holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, they had the opportunity to take him, and both sides met an enormous amount leading up to that day. Ultimately, the Texans went with Mario Williams instead, and Bush fell to the Saints at pick No. 2, and that was history.

Bush recently discussed this process, and how Brees impacted his career heavily and gave him confidence in the Saints to be his long term landing spot, dropping the following information:

“There were a lot of doubts at that time, because of Katrina, and the Saints didn’t have a home stadium at this time period. So, their stadium was completely destroyed, and there was no guarantee as to where they were gonna play their games. So I was like man, I don’t know about going into that situation, ’cause there’s a lot of uncertainty there, more chaos.”

“This is also what partly changed my heart as well, was, after that was announced Drew called me… and he was like, ‘Man great to meet you, great to talk to you, but I wanna let you know, I played with who I think was one of the greatest running backs ever LaDainian Tomlinson. I think you have an opportunity to be just as good or better than him, and I can’t wait to play with you.’ That gave me all the confidence in the world that like… Okay this is the spot for me, this is where I need to go.”

For the purpose of clarity, when stating “after that was announced” he was speaking in regards to the Texans essentially having a deal done with Williams, meaning Bush would fall to pick No. 2. Initially, Bush’s agents wanted him to fall further and play for the New York Jets in a big media market, but Saints head coach Sean Payton refused to play ball. At the end of the day, Brees helped sell Bush on playing for New Orleans anyway.

This type of context provides an immense look into what truly occurs behind the scenes in the NFL draft and landscape altogether. It is no surprise to hear Brees was one of the large selling points for Bush on being content with this new landing spot after being told he was going to Houston for months beforehand.

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Former Panthers HC Ron Rivera going back to school in new role

The winningest head coach in Panthers history is going back to school.

Former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is about to be the big man on campus, again.

As first reported by CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones on Wednesday afternoon, Rivera is set to take a “general manager-like” position at his alma mater of the University of California. Per Jones, the 63-year-old will undertake a role similar to that of Stanford University’s Andrew Luck—helping guide the program through the new landscape of college athletics.

Rivera played at UC Berkeley from 1980 to 1983. The ex-linebacker was named the Pac-10 Football Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American in his final season for the Golden Bears.

The Seaside, Calif. native would then be selected in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, for whom he’d spend his entire nine-year pro career with.

His first head-coaching gig came with the Panthers beginning in 2011. Rivera went on to lead Carolina to 76 regular-season wins, the most by a head coach in franchise history, along with three NFC South titles and the organization’s second-ever Super Bowl appearance.

He last coached for the Washington Commanders, whom he led from 2020 to 2023.

Before taking his new job at UC Berkeley, Rivera interviewed for three head-coaching vacancies (New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders) and a senior defensive assistant role (Jacksonville Jaguars) this offseason.

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49ers have chance to correct front office gaffe in free agency

The 49ers do need CB help…

The San Francisco 49ers front office during general manager’s John Lynch’s tenure has had some pretty significant missteps to go along with a bevy of home runs that have allowed the club to remain competitive when healthy for the last six seasons.

While gaffes like the Trey Lance trade stand out, there’s another, under-the-radar mistake Lynch and the front office actually have a chance to correct in the 2025 offseason.

Former New York Jets cornerback DJ Reed is set to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent when the new league year opens in the middle of March.

Reed originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick by the 49ers in the 2018 draft. It looked after his second season like Reed was working his way into a regular role in the 49ers’ secondary as a versatile safety. In the 2020 offseason he suffered a chest injury San Francisco deemed to be season-ending. They waived him with an injury designation, meaning he’d revert to season-ending IR for San Francisco as long as he cleared waivers.

“That’s a tough one for us,” Lynch said at the time in a press conference on Zoom. “The earliest we might’ve had D.J. back, was early November, but it’s a four-to-six month injury.”

The 49ers have done this a handful of times without issue, but in 2020 it backfired. When Reed hit waivers, the Seattle Seahawks pounced. Reed wound up playing in 10 games that year and a career-high 560 snaps for the Seahawks. It also proved to be a breakout campaign for Reed who moved to cornerback full time.

While the 49ers had trouble piecing together a secondary in the years after Reed’s exit, he thrived. Now he’s a free agent and San Francisco could use a third CB to play alongside Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green. There’s an opportunity for Lynch and the 49ers front office to bring Reed back after his unceremonious exit before the 2020 campaign.

Of course, Reed just turned 28 and has been an excellent starting CB with the Jets for the three years after his two-year Seattle tenure. He has two interceptions and 32 pass breakups the last three seasons to go along with 220 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks.

He may get priced out of what the 49ers are willing to spend on a third starting CB, but they should absolutely be in the market to try and correct a mistake they made in letting Reed out the door in the first place.

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NFL expert proposes massive trade involving Panthers, Jets WR Garrett Wilson

Would you trade this year’s eighth overall pick for Jets WR Garrett Wilson? This NFL expert thinks the Panthers should:

Perhaps it’s time the Carolina Panthers make a big-time move to get “Big Boy Bryce” some big-league help.

Underdog Network’s Josh Norris and Hayden Winks recently came up with eight trades they want to see happen during the 2025 season. And Norris, who is certainly no stranger to the black and process blue, proposed the following deal involving the Panthers and New York Jets wideout Garrett Wilson . . .

The 24-year-old Wilson is set to enter the fourth season of his rookie contract. The Jets, in fact, will have to decide if they want to add another—as the deadline for clubs to exercise the fifth-year options on their 2022 first-round picks falls on May 1. (They will.)

But if the new New York Jets—under first-year head coach Aaron Glenn—value having the seventh and eighth overall picks over Wilson at this point, should the Panthers come calling?

Well, they still need a certified No. 1 receiver for quarterback Bryce Young, and that first-round pick won’t guarantee them one. But Wilson, who has hit the 1,000-yard receiving mark in each of his three NFL campaigns, would.

Plus, general manager Dan Morgan expressed his desire to land playmakers on both sides of the ball this offseason. Sounds like Wilson to us.

So, yeah, maybe that one little tweet wasn’t so innocuous after all . . .

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