Jets are better off giving Aaron Rodgers the silent treatment

Earlier this week, Aaron Rodgers finally emerged from the darkness to provide an update on his NFL career and where he might play in the 2025 season.

In true Rodgers fashion, he appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to whine about the perception of his free agency efforts while also making it clear he would like to continue playing (though it seems as though his reputation is catching up with him).

As part of that appearance, the quarterback also threw some shade at the New York Jets over the way his time with the franchise came to an end. Rodgers said he “flew across the country on my own dime” to meet with the new Jets regime expecting it to be a conversation about potentially staying with the team. In reality, it was a quick meeting to make sure he knew the franchise would be moving on from him after two disappointing seasons.  Rodgers said he was “shocked” and felt like new head coach Aaron Glenn went “rogue.”

As of yet, the Jets have said nothing publically. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero noted on Friday’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show that the Jets invited Rodgers to come in for a meeting when they already knew he would be in the area, which presents a different angle on how it unfolded.

Other than that tidbit, there hasn’t been anything out of the Jets camp. No public defenses. No rebuttals. No corrections. And while that franchise certainly doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt given its reputation for poor decision-making, this might be one instance where they’re doing the right thing, simply by doing nothing.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio certainly agrees with that.

“Nothing said in response to Rodgers will change a thing. It won’t help the team win games in 2025, or beyond. It would only invite more noise from Rodgers, who now has a clear interest in seeing the Jets do worse without him than last year’s 5-12 record with him,” wrote Florio. “The Jets gain nothing from getting into a pissing contest with someone who always finds a way to paint himself as the victim. They gain everything by continuing to implement their plan to move on.”

Rodgers is a Hall of Fame quarterback but he’s also a Hall of Famer when it comes to playing the victim. It’s always the media’s fault, the team’s fault, or a teammate’s fault when things go wrong. By fighting back against him, you’re only inviting more drama and headaches. The Jets had to put up with that while Rodgers was their quarterback. They no longer have to put up with it.

Besides, as the Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt put it, Thursday’s interview with McAfee proved the Jets made the right decision about Rodgers.

“Rodgers promised the Jets the world. Instead, he gave them a world of distraction,” Rosenblatt wrote. “In two years, he made more headlines for his media appearances than for his play on the field.”

Glenn and Jets executives will be in front of the media at the NFL draft, but if they’re smart, they’ll stay mum or deflect when asked about their former quarterback and his comments. Doing otherwise adds fuel to a fire they’d much rather burns out.

Rodgers may eventually end up on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster as has been rumored and reported for weeks. However, the Steelers are also likely considering how things worked when he was with the Jets and wondering if they want to deal with all this drama as well, not to mention the inevitable messy divorce that often seems to end Rodgers’ time with a team.

Just remember, it’s never his fault.