Inside Jets' Salary Cap If Aaron Rodgers Does or Doesn't Return for 2025 NFL Season

Aaron Rodgers is going to be expensive for the New York Jets in 2025, whether he's still on the team or not.

If the Jets release Rodgers this offseason, they'll incur a "$49 million 'dead' charge," according to ESPN's Rich Cimini, "which is an accumulation of pro-rated bonuses from past years. That's a substantial cap hit, more than double his cap charge if he's on the roster ($23.5 million)."

They could spread that out over two years if he's a post-June 1 release, absorbing a $14 million dead cap hit in 2025 and $35 million in 2026.

He'll be far more expensive for the team if he sticks around, however.

While he doesn't have any guaranteed money currently left on his deal and a reasonable $23.5 million cap hit for next season, the team would owe him a $2.5 base salary and $35 million option bonus.

In addition, the four voidable years on his contract would mean his dead cap hit would increase to a whopping $63 million in 2026, with Cimini noting the reason is the "option bonus, which would be pro-rated for cap purposes over the length of the contract (the void years) and then accelerate into 2026 upon his departure."

Again, the team could make him a post-June 1 release, spreading out the dead cap between 2026 and 2027.

The most ideal option for the Jets would be attempting to negotiate a pay cut, though Rodgers may not be inclined to play ball, potentially preferring to take his chances in free agency if he's released. So the Jets are going to have an interesting decision on their hands this offseason, though almost any route they choose leads to a massive dead cap charge.