Aaron Rodgers' Exit Confirmed by Jets Ahead of NFL Free Agency Amid Retirement Buzz

Any lingering doubt about whether Aaron Rodgers' tenure with the New York Jets was over officially ended Thursday.

The Jets announced they met with the veteran quarterback and told him they are not bringing him back for the 2025 campaign.

"Last week we met with Aaron and shared that our intention was to move in a different direction at quarterback," head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey said in a statement released by the team.

"It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures. We want to thank him for the leadership, passion, and dedication he brought to the organization and wish him success moving forward."

The question now is whether Rodgers will play for a new team in 2025 following a disastrous two years with the Jets.

If he does return, it will be the 41-year-old's 21st season in the NFL. He will also have to test the open market with the Jets moving on from him.

The news doesn't come as much of a surprise, as Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported on Feb. 9 that the new Jets regime led by Glenn and Mougey informed Rodgers that the team intended to move on from him this offseason.

Rodgers was asked during the season if he hoped to play in 2025 and he responded, "I think so, yeah," but he openly contemplated retirement at the end of the year. When asked if New York's disappointing season affected his thought process, he said, "Not really, not for the negative. Not really, no."

Rodgers said in December that he'd be willing to mentor a young quarterback if he chose to return, but he won't get that chance with the Jets, who own the seventh pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Unfortunately, Rodgers' time with the Jets didn't go the way he had hoped when he pushed the Green Bay Packers to trade him to the downtrodden franchise prior to the 2023 season. A torn Achilles suffered just four plays into his first game in a New York uniform cost him the entirety of the year, and he wasn't the same in his return.

The 2024 season wasn't kind to Rodgers and the Jets, as they finished with a 5-12 record on their way to missing the playoffs for the 14th straight year, the longest active streak in any of the four major North American sports. Despite brief flashes of the four-time NFL MVP fans were hoping to see, Rodgers struggled overall as he finished with 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

In addition to Rodgers' subpar performance, New York was mired by multiple missteps made by the front office. Team owner Woody Johnson made the hasty decision to fire head coach Robert Saleh following the team's 2-3 start and promote defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to interim head coach. General manager Joe Douglas was also fired after the team fell to 3-8 despite already being on an expiring contract. The team went 3-9 under Ulbrich and the defense, which was a top-five unit at one point, suffered mightily.

The Jets went out and acquired Rodgers' favorite target and star wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders, but even that didn't pay off. Adams finished with 67 catches for 854 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games in New York as they failed to recapture their magic from their time together with the Packers. Rising star receiver Garrett Wilson also had an up-and-down year after expecting to make a leap with Rodgers under center, finishing with 101 catches for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns.

Rodgers could look to end things on a high note with a new team after leaving the Jets on the precipice of a massive rebuild in 2025.