Jets ‘make Aaron Rodgers decision’ after firing GM Joe Douglas amid miserable season

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers could follow general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh out the door in New York, according to reports.

The Jets entered the Rodgers era with high expectations after Douglas completed a blockbuster deal to bring the four-time MVP to the Big Apple in 2023 in exchange for multiple picks with the Green Bay Packers.

But with Douglas, the architect of the trade, being sent packing – just a month after head coach Saleh faced the ax – doubt remains over Rodgers’ fate in New York.

And according to multiple reports, Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets could end after just two seasons.

An internal source said this ESPN’s rich Cimini that it is highly unlikely that Jets owner Woody Johnson will bring back the former Super Bowl winner in 2025.

“The Jets have dropped seven of their past eight games in what should have been a win-now season under Rodgers, whose future is bleak,” Cimini wrote after Douglas’ firing on Tuesday.

The franchise fired general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday, casting doubt on the QB

“One source said he would be ‘shocked’ if Johnson brings Rodgers back in 2025.”

The insider added that Rodgers’ cap hit of $23.5 million in 2025 is not guaranteed.

Another one report from SNY claimed that the Jets’ players had already “checked out” and that many were “just ready.” [the season] ‘to be over’ before also suggesting that Rodgers is not expected to play for MetLife again next season.

‘There are still seven weeks to go this season. It will give the Jets an edge in another rebuild. They are looking for a new general manager. 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. However, those are the easy decisions. Filling those gaps is a much bigger challenge.”

Rodgers returned to the Jets after being ruled out of the team’s entire debut season after suffering an Achilles tear in their opening game against Buffalo in 2023.

Despite a miserable 3-8 season so far this year, the veteran had shut down retirement talks earlier this month.

“I think so, yeah,” Rodgers said when asked about his plans to return. He doubled down on his earlier hope from last season to “play another two, three or four years.”

Multiple reports have suggested that owner Woody Johnson is ready to move on from the veteran

“Not really, not because of the negative,” he added. “Not really, no.”

But even if Rodgers plans to return to the NFL next season, it appears it won’t be with the Jets right now.

The Jets would be legitimate playoff contenders this season, with a fully healthy Aaron Rodgers and a slew of weapons at his disposal.

But even after trading for Davante Adams, the Jets languish toward the bottom of the AFC as they own a 3-8 record.

After firing Saleh earlier this season, it appears Douglas was the next man to be shown the door, with former Browns general manager Phil Savage set to step in as interim. This means the Jets will likely expect a complete teardown and rebuild.

Douglas had been with the Jets since 2019, joining the team after that year’s draft process. Then-head coach Adam Gase ran the lineup for the Jets that season.

During his tenure he scored many hits. The 2022 NFL Draft was a particular highlight – with Douglas drafting star cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson in the top ten before adding pass rusher Jermaine Johnson later in the first round and running back Breece Hall in the second round.

Douglas also managed to pull off something of a heist, trading safety Jamal Adams and a fourth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Bradley McDougald, a third-round pick and two firsts (one of which was used on Garrett Wilson).

Douglas was fired the same season the Jets let go of head coach Robert Saleh (left)

But like any GM, he also had a lot of problems – most notably, the Jets never solved the quarterback problem.

Douglas obtained the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. After taking Trevor Lawrence first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Douglas took BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second.

Wilson failed to fulfill his potential in New York and was eventually traded to the Broncos after three bad seasons as the Jets’ starter.

Douglas was also the man responsible for engineering the Rodgers trade last season. In total, the Jets received Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers’ 2023 first-round pick (selecting linebacker Will McDonald IV) and their 2023 fifth-round pick.

In return, the Packers received the Jets’ 2023 first-round pick (used to take pass rusher Lukas Van Ness), their 2023 second-round pick (used to take tight end Luke Musgrave), and their pick for the 2023 sixth round pick (used on kicker Anders Carlson).

The Packers also received a conditional second-round pick in 2024, which they moved to the New Orleans Saints in a trade of second-rounders (the Saints drafted cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, the Packers took linebacker Edgerrin Cooper).

Rodgers was injured four times in the 2023 season and so far in 2024 has failed to live up to the expectations Jets fans placed on him — even after Jets management went to great lengths to appease the Super Bowl winner by acquiring wide receivers he had previously worked with.

This season, Douglas was at the center of three transactions that impacted the team. The first was an offseason deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, in which the Jets landed linebacker Haason Reddick in exchange for a conditional 2026 second-round pick that would likely become a 2026 third-round pick.

Douglas was responsible for BYU quarterback Zach Wilson being selected second overall in the 2021 draft

Douglas was also responsible for acquiring one of Rodgers’ favorite receivers, Davante Adams

Reddick stayed away from training camp and practices — even going so far as to demand a trade — until he finally agreed to a new deal with the team in late October.

Douglas was also responsible for acquiring one of Rodgers’ favorite wide receivers, Davante Adams, in exchange for a 2025 second-rounder who will likely become a third-rounder – unless Adams is voted to the All-Pro first or second team .

None of these things are likely, as Adams currently ranks 42nd in the league in receiving yards and owns just two receiving touchdowns.

After acquiring Adams, Douglas flipped wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the trade deadline in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

In his first game with his new team, Williams caught a game-winning touchdown and then hit back at Rodgers after previously receiving criticism from the quarterback.