New York Jets owner Woody Johnson made a surprising suggestion about the future of Aaron Rodgers’ role with the team in recent weeks, according to a report.
Johnson reportedly played an increasingly important role in the operation of the franchise in the weeks leading up to the firing of general manager Joe Douglas.
Douglas was fired Tuesday just a month after head coach Robert Saleh was also fired amid another miserable season.
But trouble had long been brewing in the Jets’ backroom with Johnson, the former ambassador to the United Kingdom, said to be turning up the pressure and even trying to take the reins himself, according to The Athletic.
In fact, the embattled franchise was in such disarray that Johnson summoned then-head coach Robert Saleh, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, then-defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich and special teams coordinator Brant Boyer to a “contentious meeting” after Week 4 to explain.
It was at this emergency summit, which took place the day after New York’s 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos on September 29, that Johnson made an absurd suggestion about quarterback Rodgers.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson (right) reportedly wanted to bench Aaron Rodgers (left)
The owner proposed that the four-time MVP, whom the Jets had acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Packers just a year earlier, be benched in favor of backup Tyrod Taylor.
Johnson was apparently unimpressed with Rodgers’ performances on the field, believing they were holding the team back.
“The coaches and Douglas, stunned by the suggestion, dissuaded him and convinced Johnson to stay the course and that benching Rodgers, with his pedigree, four games into the season would not sit well with the locker room,” reports The Athletic. .
‘The coaches also felt it would embarrass Rodgers. The idea of benching the future Hall of Famer sounded so absurd that one coach asked if the owner was serious; multiple sources at that meeting believed this to be the case.
Although Johnson was dissuaded from the suggestion that day, no one could stop him from pulling the trigger just a week later, when he fired head coach Saleh without consulting his general manager.
And it was Douglas who was next in the line of fire, as he received his marching orders Tuesday midway through his sixth season with the franchise.
Douglas was the man responsible for engineering the Rodgers trade last season. In total, the Jets received Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick in 2023 (selecting linebacker Will McDonald IV), and their fifth-round pick in 2023.
In exchange, the Packers received the Jets’ 2023 first-round pick (used to select pass rusher Lukas Van Ness), their 2023 second-round pick (used to select tight end Luke Musgrave), and their sixth-round pick. 2023 (used on kicker Anders Carlson).
General manager Joe Douglas was fired the same season the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh (left)
The Packers also got a conditional second-round pick in 2024 that they moved to the New Orleans Saints in a swap of second-round picks (Saints selected cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, Packers selected linebacker Edgerrin Cooper).
Rodgers was injured four plays into the 2023 season and so far in 2024 has not lived up to the expectations placed on him by Jets fans, even after Jets management did everything possible to appease the Super Bowl winner acquiring wide receivers he had previously worked with. with.
Now, with Douglas out the door, Rodgers’ fate in New York is said to be in doubt.
According to multiple reports, Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets could be coming to an end after just two seasons.
An inside source said ESPN’s Rich Cimini that Jets owner Woody Johnson is highly unlikely to bring the former Super Bowl winner back in 2025.
“The Jets have lost seven of their last eight games in what was supposed to be a winnable season now with Rodgers, whose future is cloudy,” Cimini wrote following Douglas’ firing on Tuesday.
“A source said he would be ‘surprised’ if Johnson brought Rodgers back in 2025.”
Rodgers’ fate is in doubt with reports suggesting the Jets are prepared to move on
The source added that Rodgers’ $23.5 million cap charge in 2025 is not guaranteed.
Another SNY report stated that Jets players had already “checked out” and many were “ready for (the season) to be over” before also suggesting that Rodgers is not expected to suit up again at MetLife next season.
‘There are seven weeks left in this season. It will give the Jets a boost for another rebuild. They are looking for a new CEO. They will be looking for a new coach,” SNY’s Connor J. Hughes reported.
‘Sources told SNY that the team also prefers to move on from Aaron Rodgers. But those are the easy decisions. How to fill those gaps poses a much bigger challenge.”