Few things are more sad than watching a star athlete in his declining years. No matter the heights they reach, time has its way with them just like it does with all of us. Case in point: Aaron Rodgers, the former Green Bay Packers QB who’s spending the remainder of his declining years stinking it up on the New York Jets. Oh, and he can’t seem to stop picking his nose.
This has been especially hard to watch. Since he was acquired by the Jets for multiple draft picks in 2023, the historically bad Jets have become, well, historically worse. They’ve gone 10-28 under his tenure, and have seen the firing of not only of Head Coach Robert Saleh, but General Manager Joe Douglas as well. It hasn’t even been two years.
Is the situation one that can be salvaged or does the organization need to take its losses and move on? Well, according to rumours floating around, owner Woody Johnson wanted to bench Rodgers after the team lost to the Broncos in week 4. That didn’t happen, but the Jets have gone 1-6 since then. Woof.
Still, Rodgers has said he still wants to play next season, even though he doesn’t have any guaranteed money on his contract for it. More and more, it’s looking like with new leadership on the way, he will be pushed out the door. Don’t lose faith though loyal Rodgerites! The QB, who will soon be 41, could potentially land on some other teams.
Sports Illustrated seems to think there are five likely choices: the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings or the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vikings would be especially ironic considering it’s where another Packers great, Brett Favre, spent the sundown of his career.
While Rodgers has certainly not been impressive, he can’t shoulder all of the blame for the Jets 3-8 record. The defense is pretty weak and all of the managerial upheaval can’t have helped. As unlikely as a move to the Vikings seems, it’s not out of the realm of possibility, at least according to Pac-A-Day Radio Show host Andy Herman.
Herman thinks it’s possible because the Vikings current QB JJ McCarthy just had a second knee surgery and probably won’t be ready to lead the Vikings due to inexperience and injuries. Considering the team views JJ McCarthy as the future of the franchise, it probably won’t want to give backup Sam Darnold the keys to the kingdom.
This means there might be a year where Rodgers’ waning talents could be useful. Considering that and the fact that Rodgers will more likely than not be available, it could very well happen, Herman said.
Which brings us to the question, should they? In addition to his propensity for getting picked off on the field, he picks his nose and eats those boogers! Will his diet of his own boogs affect his playing? Is this the type of QB we want around the league? Do we care?
Regardless of what happens, one thing is for sure. This season is an all-out disaster for the Jets and the team needs to find a way to pick victory instead of Rodgers’ nose and perhaps by extension, inevitable defeat.