The end of a failed era.
It comes as no surprise because the team announced weeks ago that it planned to make the move, but the Jets officially released quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Wednesday as the new league year began. Rich Cimini broke the news.
Cimini notes that the Jets don’t plan to officially announce the transaction on the team’s official social media channels as they normall do with player transactions. Still, Rodgers is now officially a former Jet.
By waiting until Wednesday, the Jets give themselves the option to designate Rodgers a post-June 1 cut. If they do so, Rodgers will continue to count $23.5 million against the cap ( (the same amount he would have cost if he was on the team) until June 1. Then his cap hit falls to $14 million. The catch is the Jets then will take on a $35 million dead money hit in 2026.
The alternative would be making him a regular cut which would take his 2025 cap hit to $49 million in dead money, a $25.5 million increase over his current hit. So a regular cut would reduce the Jets’ cap space by $25.5 million, essentially half the space they entered free agency with. You can see why they might choose the post-June 1 angle.
Much as been said and will continue to be said about the Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets. For now, I think most of us would acknowledge that it failed and it’s probably best for all parties to get a fresh start.
