With GM Joe Douglas Fired, Jets Likely To End Dreadful Aaron Rodgers Experiment

In the span of a week, Aaron Rodgers’ fate in New York has gone from uncertain to sealed. With Joe Douglas out as the team’s general manager, it is almost certain that owner Woody Johnson will look to rebuild with entirely new leadership, including the man under center.

A rumor this week suggests that Johnson called for Rodgers to be benched as early as Week 4, when the team was 2-2 and still had a fighting chance at a playoff spot. Since then, the team has fired head coach Robert Saleh, traded for Davante Adams and ended Hasson Reddick’s holdout. None of it accomplished anything, as the team is now 3-8 and well out of the playoff hunt.

In an attempt to build a winning system around Rodgers, an attempt that has become increasingly desperate and flailing over time, the Jets revealed that Rodgers himself was the common denominator in the team’s misery. No acquisition or termination would have helped matters. The future Hall-of-Famer has simply not performed as advertised, failing one of the youngest and most talented teams in the league. 

Without a new general manager named, it’s very difficult to nail down what the Jets’ 2025 rebuild will look like. The team may not have a chance at a first-round quarterback, which could allow a journeyman like Tyrod Taylor to step in and help the team gather and limp through another season. Taylor is Rodgers’ backup, and was rumored to be Johnson’s preferred choice early this season.

Entering a Week 12 bye, Rodgers said that it would be a good chance to “clear our heads.” Douglas’ termination is sure to keep the team on edge, however, putting the vast majority of players in an uncertain position. No one responsible for acquiring any player on the current roster is still with the team. Changes under a new regime may be dramatic and unforgiving in some areas. It will likely start at quarterback.