If it wasn’t obvious that the Aaron Rodgers experiment had failed, it probably was after the New York Jets took their 10th loss of the season in Week 14 to rival Miami Dolphins in overtime. And that was with Rodgers having one of his better performances of the season, throwing for 339 yards and one touchdown.
The Jets are on their second losing streak of the season with at least four or more games. Everyone thought they had made a turnaround back in Week 9 when they beat the Houston Texans at home on Thursday Night Football. That quickly fell apart now that they’ve lost four straight, three of which were by one score or less.
This is by far the worst season of Rodgers’ career. Previously, Rodgers had been a part of only three losing seasons, with his worst back in 2008 (his first year as a starter), going 6-10. He and the Jets will have to win out to avoid the worst starting record of his career. That seems unlikely.
Where do the Jets turn in 2025?
So, what’s next for Rodgers? More importantly, what’s next for the Jets, a fledgling team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010 and struggled to find a franchise quarterback?
Considering that Jets’ owner Woody Johnson gave the boot to former head coach Robert Saleh earlier in the season, New York will be looking for its next head coach, among other things. That also means with a new coaching staff should come new decisions that might not involve Rodgers behind center. Should that be the case, the new staff would put emphasis on building the future, which only happens in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The problem is that this year’s quarterback crop is severely down from last season’s group. Not only that but New York is currently setting with the No. 7 pick, where they would unlikely be able to snag at least the top two quarterbacks in this draft class. They could always leap ahead the six teams or they could attempt to trade up. We’re going to assume they stick with the seventh pick for now, which leads us to who they could potentially draft.
Who could the Jets draft to replace Aaron Rodgers?
Going under the assumption that Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward go No. 1 and 2 (in no particular order), that doesn’t leave many great options on the table for the Jets, which isn’t too surprising considering this team. Still, even if Rodgers should stay with the team, the Jets have to make a grab towards the future by taking the best quarterback available.
Being that the available quarterback prospects will be slim after Sanders and Ward, that leaves the Jets probably looking at Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, assuming he declares for the 2025 draft.
Milroe is a true dual-threat phenomenon that is straight up lethal. He became one of the best deep ball throwers in the country over the last two years. His size is also a major advantage, especially for someone who can move like him and make plays with his legs.
Probably after that, the Jets are looking at Quinn Ewers, who also has yet to announce this will be his final season in Austin. Even though the Longhorns are in the first-round of the College Football Playoff, Ewers has been very inconsistent this season. Not to mention that like most seasons during his career, he’s dealt with multiple injuries that have kept him out of a number of games.
The last option to replace Rodgers would be Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss. Dart has shown his ability to get the ball down the field, throwing for tons of yardage, leading the SEC this season. With is gunslinger approach, he can be a feast of famine guy, however. But he can also make plays with his legs, that of which can translate at the next level.
