Why Aaron Rodgers' future with the Jets — and maybe the NFL — is anything but clear

Aaron Rodgers wants to play football next season. Well, he thinks he does. Coach Jeff Ulbrich "absolutely" wants him to return as the Jets starter. He said that on Friday.

Three years, two of them healthy. That’s been the goal. That hasn’t changed.

Time to see it through.

If only it were that simple.

This Jets season, through 11 weeks, has been nothing short of a disaster compared to expectations. The team sits at 3-8 despite a roster littered with All-Pros and Pro Bowlers. They’re on their second head coach (fired Robert Saleh after five weeks), second offensive play-caller (Todd Downing took over for Nathaniel Hackett days later),and spent the weeks before the trade deadline bolstering their team (Davante Adams, Haason Reddick). None of it has made a difference.

It’s a down year in the AFC, so the Jets still had a 13 percent chance of making the playoffs coming into play on Sunday, but that likely involves running the table. That’s very unlikely to happen with two games against the Dolphins, one against the division-leading Bills, and another against the Rams among those ahead. This would extend the Jets playoff drought to 14 years – the longest amongst any team in the four major sporting leagues.

Rodgers will turn 41 in December. His statistics aren’t horrible (62.4 completion percentage, 2,258 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, seven interceptions through Week 10), but below his standard. He’s battled knee (left and right) and ankle injuries. He told NFL Network earlier this year he’s battling Father Time and the two are locked in a “stalemate.” It would be understandable if he wanted this to be it. 

Yet he doesn’t. He wants to give it another go.

The real question is whether or not that’s going to be with the Jets.

Wholesale changes could very well be coming for the Jets, barring a complete turnaround in the final seven weeks. That would mean a new head coach and general manager. Woody Johnson is expected to oversee those hires before resuming his position as Ambassador to the U.K. The organization has started putting feelers out on potential head coaching candidates, sources told SNY.

A new general manager means a new view on the roster. A new coach means a new offensive scheme. Among the reasons Rodgers was drawn to the Jets in the first place was that they afforded him the chance to run the offense he wanted, bring in the players he coveted. That would not be the case next year. An aging quarterback learning a brand new system in what will very likely be the final year of his career? There’s a reason that reads farfetched.

Stability is believed to be the deciding factor on Rodgers returning for a third year with the Jets. That means Ulbrich and Joe Douglas retaining their positions. Rodgers reaffirmed that this week when he said he hopes to play for Ulbrich “until the end.” If they are gone, Rodgers is believed to be, too, as the organization ushers in a fresh start – including the quarterback position. That does not mean Rodgers will retire (though, it's not impossible), but his time with the Jets could end.

The concept of the Jets running it back in 2025 seems far-fetched at the moment. The outlook on that could change, though. While the odds of the playoffs remain slim, a strong finish is not. There’s an outside chance this regime could convince Woody Johnson and his brother Christopher, who will take over day-to-day control assuming Woody heads overseas, to give it one more go with a 6-1 or 5-2 finish.

It’s clear, at the moment, Rodgers wants to play next season barring injury.

The next seven weeks could very well decide who that’s for.