New York Jets: Some players disapproved of Aaron Rodgers divorce

Just a couple of weeks have passed since the New York Jets revealed their intentions to move on from Aaron Rodgers.

“…. We met with Aaron and shared that our intention was to move in a different direction at quarterback,” newly hired Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey said in a joint statement on Feb. 13. 

Glenn was in Indianapolis this week for the annual NFL Scouting Combine, where he acknowledged that the franchise’s decision to part ways with the veteran quarterback left some Jets players “upset.”

Quinnen Williams was among those who appeared to disapprove of Rodgers’ departure, with three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman using a thumbs-down emoji on social media after news of the split surfaced. Williams also wrote, “another rebuild year for me I guess,” on X, formerly known as Twitter, in an apparent reaction to the Jets’ decision.

Glenn said he had a private discussion with Williams about his reaction. He also made it clear that the Jets’ priority is to win football games.

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“Yes, I have talked to him,” Glenn told reporters. “And listen, I understand the reaction of the players, but I’ll say this: Every decision that me and [general manager Darren Mougey] make is to win and to win now.

“So, I understand it, but again: Listen, this is not going to be the last decision I make that’s going to upset some people, and that’s OK. But as men, we talk about it. We make sure we keep it in-house, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

After his 2023 campaign was cut short by injury, Rodgers played in all 17 games this past season. While he finished with 28 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, his overall performance did not appear to meet the Jets’ expectations.

The Jets finished with a 5-12 record. Mougey also addressed reports that said Rodgers was given an “ultimatum” about his appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“I will say this – There was never an ultimatum or rules of engagement for Aaron to potentially join the Jets,” Mougey said. “That never happened. AG and I had a lot of dialogue, a lot of conversations, a lot of good thoughts and just felt, at the end of the day, it was the best thing for the Jets moving forward, to go in a different direction at the quarterback position.”

Rodgers has yet to make any public comments about his breakup with the Jets. Mougey said the team expects to designate the Super Bowl winning signal caller as a June 1 cut. The move allows the Jets to split the salary cap hit over a two-year period.

Also at the combine, Glenn doubled down on his statements from his introductory press conference about fielding a high volume of Rodgers-related questions. 

“I don’t want to disrespect any of the players we have on our team, and it kind of p—es me off and some of the other players that that’s what we all talk about,” Glenn said. “You have Quinnen Williams, you have Quincy Williams, you have an AVT [Alijah Vera-Tucker] and now you have Joe Tippmann. All those guys need to be respected as far as winning games also.”

Rodgers’ exit leaves the Jets quarterback room thin. Veteran backup Tyrod Taylor remains under contract with the team. Glenn described Taylor as “a good player,” but stopped short of declaring him as the team’s starter for 2025.

The Jets currently hold the No. 7 pick in next month’s NFL Draft.

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