Aaron Rodgers linked to $5,300,000,000 AFC team amid rumors on Jets QB's retirement

Aaron Rodgers' first full season with the Jets fell far below expectations. They finished with a 5-12 record and were nowhere close to the playoffs despite being seen as divisional winners and potential Super Bowl contenders before the season began. Many such prognostications were based on the quarterback being a four-time MVP, who was supposed to be the final piece in the jigsaw featuring a sturdy defense and some elite playmakers on offense.

Therefore, rumors are afoot that the Jets are ready to part ways with Aaron Rodgers next season with the general manager and head coach who brought him in already departed. If that is the case, NFL commentator Albert Breer thinks that the quarterback might want to go somewhere else and try to resurrect his career as another former Packers star did.

Brett Favre failed to shine in New York after moving from Green Bay and went to Minnesota to end his career with an NFC championship appearance. Breer spoke with Colin Cowherd on Monday and said he believes that might be an option the current Jets quarterback explores as well, saying,

"Aaron told me over the summer, part of the reason he came back in 2024 was he didn't want to go out like that (season-ending Achilles injury in 2022)... My guess is he's still got some juice left and he still wants to play. He could come back like Brett Favre came back after what happened with his year with the Jets and be playing in Minnesota and being an MVP candidate the next year."

Albert Breer couched that possibility with the rationale that the 2025 draft class for quarterbacks does not look too great and a team like Pittsburgh or Cleveland, whose offenses stuttered throughout and then stalled in the latter part of the season, could make a move for Aaron Rodgers. He continued,

"Here's the other thing that I think affects all that... The draft class doesn't look great... There are going to be teams that are going to look at this year's draft class, say there's not a first rounder in there... For certain teams, Aaron Rodgers could be an effective bridge. How would you look at Cleveland? How would you look in Pittsburgh?"

Would Aaron Rodgers do for the Steelers what he failed to do for the Jets?

Say we take Pittsburgh as an example of a potential destination. It is understandable why a team valued at $5.3 billion as per Forbes, would want to get a quarterback of Aaron Rodgers' caliber as they look to win a long-overdue championship.

However, this season with the Jets does not look like an aberration. He finished with 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and 3,897 yards. As bad as he was this year, it was still better in every category than his last season with the Packers, where he had 26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and 3,695 yards. A trend is developing that could be interpreted as the new normal for the future Hall-of-Famer.