EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — The ritual began more than two months ago.
The night before each game, New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich chose one or two players and a coach to share their story — their “why.”
The members of the list moved forward and the staff also followed them. But for 11 sessions, Aaron Rodgers didn’t speak.
The omission wasn’t due to a lack of interest on Ulbrich’s part or a better-than-thou mentality on the part of the Jets’ star quarterback. The wait was intentional.
“I asked him at the beginning of the season if he was thinking about me, if he could afford to do it at the end,” Rodgers said Sunday night. “I just wanted to talk to the guys about what the last two years have meant to me.”
Rodgers wanted one last guaranteed, uninterrupted opportunity to address his teammates and coaches. To thank you. Because the 40-year-old knows after Sunday night that he may not play another game for the Jets.
Aaron Rodgers on his future in the NFL and the Jets: “I know I can still play. I know I can still do the things I need to do to be successful. It all comes down to the desire on his side and ultimately my desire after “Take some time mentally and physically to rest and relax.” pic.twitter.com/kirnEhS9jD
– Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) January 6, 2025
A locker room of players juggling relief and joy did not deny the uncertainty surrounding their quarterback’s future. This Jets team is used to turnovers. They know, after losing head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and general manager Joe Douglas on Nov. 19, that no one’s future with the franchise is guaranteed.
His future in the NFL is not guaranteed.
That starts with Rodgers, whose four-touchdown performance Sunday was the exception rather than the rule during a 5-12 season. Beating the Miami Dolphins, 32-20 weeks after elimination in the playoffs, does not make up for a lost season. The Jets knew it and yet took a moment to appreciate the relationships that overcame the disappointing results; reflect on what worked before returning to the consequences of everything that didn’t work.
Rodgers led that charge, from his Saturday night speech to a 274-yard performance in the season finale.
“A lot of special things have happened,” Rodgers said. “I would have had a huge void inside me that only these two years could have filled.”
How will you fill your next two?
A framework for considering Rodgers’ future
Two questions dictate Rodgers’ future in the NFL. Their combination takes you into uncharted territory.
The first: Will a Jets organization welcome the quarterback who failed to consistently produce winning individual or team performances this season?
Rodgers acknowledged that he achieved his goal of starting all 17 games, but fell short of his other goals. The Jets will weigh how much acute injuries during the season hampered his performance and how much his 40s are simply catching up with him. A general manager and coach who did not sign Rodgers will see that he completed 63% of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as the Jets blew a series of games in which they led in the fourth quarter.
You might wonder: In 2025, will he be more reflective of the 112.5 passer rating player who recovered from a slanted interception on his first pass to throw four touchdowns in the season finale? Or will he be more like the 20th-best player who posted a 90.5 QB rating all season, his mobility fading for long stretches and his chemistry with receivers unreliable?
The decision will probably not fall to Ulbrich, who nevertheless intervened
“He wanted to play 17 against an Achilles when he was over 40; that was a big part of his drive this year,” Ulbrich said. “By finally having the opportunity to recover towards the end, we could see that he can still play this game at a very, very high level.
“Whether he plays or not after this will be completely up to him because I’m sure he will get a chance.”
Which brings us to the second question: Does Rodgers want to keep playing?
The premise somehow implies that Rodgers is capable. He, his teammates and his coaches say publicly that they believe that is the case.
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Still, the four-time MVP has repeatedly said he wants to take time away from the game before making a decision. You want to plot your territory with a clear head rather than with charged emotions. He hopes to meet with team owners Woody and Christopher Johnson soon and take into account their level of interest.
“Either way, I won’t be angry or offended,” Rodgers said. “Whatever they decide to do, if they want to move forward, if I still want to play. And if not, at some point I will let you know.”
His teammates believe Rodgers is more than capable of producing in 2025, and tight end Tyler Conklin says Rodgers has “limitless gas in the tank.”
“As a competitor and as a person, it’s probably going to be hard for him not to want to keep playing, but we’ll see what happens,” Conklin said. “It will be interesting.”
Rodgers’ uncertainty about the Jet is different from his departure from the Packers
The last time Rodgers reached a turning point, he believed he had two options: play for an NFL team not called the Green Bay Packers or retire.
Rodgers oscillated in 2022 which way to go. He was determined that his time was “up in Green Bay” and his 18-year tenure wore him down.
“I needed to find out if I still had the desire to play and if I could regain the love for the game,” Rodgers said. “I have a huge love for the game (now), so I can’t say it feels that way. This feels very different.
“I just need to get away and then see what they’re up to, what they’re thinking.”
Rodgers’ willingness to discern between the two seemed to indicate interest in playing again. That could change, but he lit up when he described his first touchdown of the game as “an old-school touchdown in the red zone like we did for so long in Green Bay.” The background: His talent can still be a threat.
And instead of shooting down hypotheses, Rodgers considered what he would do if the Jets move on while he still wants to play.
“Would you be willing to play for another team?” Rodgers considered it. “The answer is yes.”
His speech Saturday night hinted at why. Sure, there are statistical milestones ahead: Rodgers became the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdowns on Sunday, and with 503 he’s within reach of Brett Favre’s 508 and Peyton Manning’s 539. Another Lombardi Trophy will always be tempting.
But Rodgers didn’t trumpet victories or records in his comments. He talked about relationships: the connection he knows he won’t be able to replicate when he hangs up his shoes.
That’s why Rodgers walked out of Lambeau Field with his close friend Randall Cobb after his last game with the Packers two years ago, and it’s why Davante Adams (Rodgers’ best friend who still plays after Cobb retired) escorted him off the lawn this time. Cobb flew in for what could be the final page of Rodgers’ Jets chapter.
Expect that appreciation for humanity in the NFL to factor into Rodgers’ decision along with his desire to prove to skeptics that he can play at age 40 and prove to himself that his four-touchdown season finish can once again be a reference rather than a mirage.
“I think the most important thing that he always said from the beginning, and what he talked about with us last night, was that no matter how long you play this game or whatever situation you find yourself in, if you don’t come out with relationships, then you’re missing out. something, because this game is about relationships,” Conklin told Yahoo Sports. “It’s about bonds and friendships, going to war together, going through difficult things together, and helping feed each other’s families.
“I don’t want to speak for him, but that’s what he prioritizes above all, right? They are your relationships and the relationships you have built. I think that’s special.
“Especially with everything he’s done in his career, prioritizing relationships over everything he’s done is great. It says a lot about him.”