It would appear that the New York Jets are parting ways with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, "Rodgers flew back to New Jersey last week to meet with the Jets about his future with the team, only to be told that the team was moving on from him. If that means that he will be a June 1 designation that allows him to sign with any team in the league on March 12 if he decides to continue to play. Given that Rodgers made the effort to fly back to discuss his future, all signs point to him continuing to play. It just won't be for the Jets."

Both ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed Glazer's reporting, with Rapoport noting Davante Adam's future is also likely elsewhere:

It's the right approach for the Jets, who should be building around younger players like Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner. Granted, the team now has a major hole to fill at quarterback, though there will potentially be several short-term options available in free agency (Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, etc.) and the team could use draft capital to address the position as well.

The market for Rodgers, meanwhile, will be fascinating. He had an up-and-down year in 2024, though his final numbers (3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 63.0 completion percentage, 40 sacks) were largely solid. The Jets, however, went just 5-12.

It's possible that Rodgers could be trade, though a release feels more likely:

There are plenty of teams with a potential need at quarterback this offseason, including the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers, so Rodgers should have a market once Darnold picks his next destination. Teams like the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns could be dark horse options as well, depending on how many resources they are willing to commit to the position.

Either way, releasing Rodgers will come with some pain for the Jets, as a post-1 designation will mean a dead cap hit of $14 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026. Keeping him another year would have simply kicked the dead cap hit further down the road, however, so a fresh start feels like the right choice for the Jets.