The hypotheticals seem limitless following Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets’ 2024 season finale on Sunday — a 32-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins to finish a disappointing season at 5-12.
The 41-year-old future Hall-of-Famer could have very well played his last game ever on Sunday, and if he did, he went out in style. He threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns, becoming just the fifth player ever with 500 career passing touchdowns.
But he refuted NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport’s report that people close to him suggested that he could be retiring this offseason.
“People said they were close to me? I don’t have relations with Ian,” Rodgers said. “I’m not sure who does in my circle, but probably nobody who has talked to me in the last short while. No offense to Ian, of course.”
Rodgers had previously expressed a desire to return to the Jets in 2025, though that is anything but a secure notion right now. Team owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas mid-season and a new leadership regime could very well look to make sweeping changes to the roster — most notably at the quarterback position.
Perhaps that is why Sunday at MetLife Stadium felt more like a goodbye to the Jets rather than to football altogether.
“I just wanted to talk to the guys about what the last two years has meant to me,” Rodgers said when discussing his message during a pregame meeting. “I talked about my love for the game, my perspective, and how it changed on Sept. 11, 2023 [when I tore my Achilles]. And then I talked about the gratitude. There were questions the last few months… about whether I regretted coming to New York. The answer is, of course, not. The follow-up usually is, why is that the case? I talked about what really is important in this game. That’s the relationships. If I hadn’t come to New York, I wouldn’t have met certain guys. I wouldn’t have been able to be locker mates with Javon Kinlaw and Morgan Moses and Tyron Smith, and wouldn’t have been protected by John Simpson. What a great guy he is. I wouldn’t have got to know the Williams brothers, and get to watch these young stars early in their careers.
“I would’ve had a big hole inside me that only these two years could have filled. When I say these last two years were the best years of my life, I just don’t mean those relationships off the field. There have been a lot of special things that have happened… I would’ve really missed out on meeting some special people.”
The next two months will undoubtedly help shape Rodgers’ offseason outlook. But the prospect of joining another organization and starting over once again is not something that appears all too daunting for him.
“I’ve done it once,” he said. “Obviously, there are a lot of hypotheticals here. If I want to play, hypothetical No. 1. If they want to move on, hypothetical No. 2. Would I be willing to play for another team? Hypothetical No. 3. The answer is yes.”
