If there was any real doubt remaining that the New York Jets are finished with the Aaron Rodgers experience, the quarterback put it to bed during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier this week.
Rodgers spoke openly Monday about the likelihood that New York will cut him ahead of next season, then made a joke at Woody Johnson's expense by referencing a recent report from The Athletic that the Jets' owner allows both of his teenage sons heavy influence in team decisions.
"Being released would be a first," Rodgers said, chuckling. "Being released by a teenager -- that would also be a first."
The Jets will attempt to trade Rodgers, but that could be a hard sell with a year remaining on his $112.5 million contract and considering his downturn in play after missing all of last year with an Achilles injury. Rodgers also turned 41 years old at the beginning of December.
Of course, if the Jets part ways with Rodgers, they are going to need another quarterback for at least one year to serve as a bridge to a long-term answer under center. Without Rodgers in the huddle, the Jets profile as one of the more likely candidates to trade for current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Falcons benched Cousins ahead of last week's game in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. and are all but certain to either trade or cut Cousins ahead of a $10 million roster bonus due on March 17.
"Cousins’ slump was as much about a struggle to jell with a new play-caller and weapons as it was about the quarterback’s pure ability. The right fit, for Cousins and his next team, matters," Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports reported last week. "Sources pointed to the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans , New York Jets and New York Giants as possible places where Cousins could start immediately in 2025."
The Jets certainly won't take on the entirety of the remainder of Cousins' $180 million deal, which runs through 2027. Though the team would probably need to sacrifice an asset of some value to acquire Cousins at a discount -- with the Jets eating a significant portion of the contract.
New York's other option to attain Cousins would be to wait for the Falcons to release him in mid-March, though the QB could sign wherever he wished at that point, so his acquisition would be uncertain.
