Aaron Rodgers questions Cowboys’ way of doing business after peculiar situation with Mike McCarthy’s contract

Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy spent more than a decade together, and even more than five years after their separation, Rodgers remains one source of intrigue regarding the coach. Speaking on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday, Rodgers congratulated McCarthy on his work in 2024.

However, he also raised questions about the brutal nature of how things cooled off between McCarthy and Jerry Jones.

"Hell of a ball coach. What he did this year with the amount of injuries they had, I thought, was amazing," Rodgers said. "It was interesting because anybody who knows the business, most of the time coaches have an extra year on their deal so it gives you that buffer if you get released, you have a year to not have to rush back in there."

"I think most of the coaches on the staff went into the season without another year on their deal. They’re in the last year of their deal. That’s a fricken tough way to go about doing it with no guarantees afterward,” he added.

McCarthy had previously taken a sabbatical after his time with the Green Bay Packers came to a close. He was fired in 2018 and reemerged as the Dallas Cowboys coach in 2020, giving him more than a full year to recharge. This time around, the coach has no built-in time to do that.

Exploring paths that could lead to a Mike McCarthy-Aaron Rodgers reunion

Aaron Rodgers smiles after facing the Miami Dolphins (Image Source: Imagn)

Aaron Rodgers appears to have plenty of respect for Mike McCarthy in 2025. With the New York Jets looking for their next coach and Rodgers on the roster, the puzzle pieces appear to fit together.

If the Jets choose another candidate and proceed to move on from Rodgers, he could end up wherever McCarthy does. Depending on what happens, Rodgers could lose the starting job at that destination as well.

If that were to take place, this would mean that McCarthy had overseen the decline of Brett Favre and Rodgers. The storylines are there for the taking, but will the offseason factors line up?