Jets have new GM, head coach but now must make Aaron Rodgers decision

There wouldn’t be a discussion. Not a contentious one, anyway. If all that determined whether or not Aaron Rodgers returned to quarterback the Jets next season was what the soon-to-be 41-year-old could do on the field, Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey would welcome him back with open arms.

But that’s just not the case. There is so much more to Rodgers than just the quarterback. This is why now the Jets have their new head coach and general manager, they must determine if their fresh start includes under center, too.

There’s nothing simple about that. 

Rodgers can still play. He can still play at a pretty high level. He’s not the player who collected four MVP awards during his two decades in Green Bay, but so few are. At baseline: He’s an above-average starting quarterback at this stage of his career. There’s reason to believe he can be better than that.

With a quarterback rating of 90.5 last season, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 63 percent of his passes. He did so despite dealing with injuries to both knees, an ankle, and a hamstring that was the most significant strain you can have with the muscle still attached to the bone.

Let’s put those numbers in perspective. His yardage ranked third most in Jets franchise history, as did his touchdowns. His completion percentage and rating rank seventh among Jets quarterbacks to throw at least 200 passes.

You might not win because of Rodgers anymore. You can absolutely still win with him, though.

There aren’t many alternatives that provide an obvious boost for the former. Sam Darnold isn’t coming back. The Vikings aren’t trading J.J. McCarthy. Daniel Jones and Derek Carr aren’t nearly as good. The Jets don’t figure to be in a position to draft Cam Ward (Miami) or Shedeur Sanders (Colorado).

There’s a compelling argument to run it back considering the way the Jets' roster looks when healthy (line, backfield, receivers, defense). Give it one more go. Rodgers himself said his top option would be a third year with the Jets.

It’s never connect-the-dots with this team.

There is so much more to Rodgers than what he does between the lines. He is very opinionated, justified considering his career accomplishments. He wants things done a certain way. Among the reasons he joined the Jets was because they presented him with the opportunity to run the offense he wanted with the players he wanted. He demands excellence. He holds others accountable to a degree some are not comfortable with.

When his opinions aren’t heard, excellence isn't reached, and accountability isn't met … he talks about it. Publicly, privately and nationally on The Pat McAfee Show. Sometimes, those conversations veer away from what the public deems acceptable. That leads to criticism. Criticism that then falls upon the organization.

The Jets had no problem with any of that in Rodgers' first two years. That’s when they felt he was going to lead them to a Super Bowl. A debut that ended after four snaps and a second year that ended with just five wins have changed things.

Rodgers' relationship with owner Woody Johnson is strained. There’s a belief that Johnson, while deferring to his general manager and head coach, would prefer a complete organizational reset.

Glenn for Robert Saleh was Part 1. Mougey for Joe Douglas was Part 2. Rodgers would complete the trilogy.

The Jets are tired of hearing it. This playoff drought, now 14 years and counting, is the longest in professional sports. Failed coaches, general managers and quarterbacks, horrid drafts, rash decisions and ill-timed injuries have all contributed.

This team believes they have the players. Now they feel they have a coach to lead them and a manager to complete the architectural structure of the roster. In the NFL, though, that means nothing without a quarterback.

Maybe the Jets have one. Maybe they have to find one.

They need to figure that out now.