“He is a diminished quarterback” - 2x Super Bowl champ doesn’t mince words on Aaron Rodgers after Jets’ exit

According to a former two-time Super Bowl champion, Aaron Rodgers only has himself to blame for his exit from New York.

On Monday’s episode of “Badlands,” Damien Woody said it was clear to him that the former four-time NFL MVP wasn’t his usual self in 2024.

"For most of the season, he wasn’t playing well. He just wasn’t seeing the field well, the accuracy that we have been accustomed to seeing from Aaron Rodgers wasn’t there, and so he’s a diminished quarterback," Woody said.

After spending nearly a year off the field because of a torn Achilles tendon, Rodgers completed 63.0% of his passes in the 2024 season, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. That was enough for the Jets to release him last week, leaving the 41-year-old’s NFL future uncertain. Reports on Monday indicated that Rodgers begged the Jets to keep him on for 2025, a plea that fell on deaf ears.

Rodgers hasn’t thrown for over 4,000 yards since his 2021 season with the Green Bay Packers, while his 63.0% completion percentage was his lowest in a single campaign since 2019 (62.0%). On the other hand, he did throw 28 touchdown passes with the Jets last season, two more than he had in his final campaign with the Cheeseheads in 2022.

Aaron Rodgers had to take the fall for Jets' bad year

At 5-12, the Jets had several problems that they failed to fix last season, which didn’t go unnoticed by Woody and the panel. At the same time, the offensive lineman, who won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in the early 2000s, says it looked like Aaron Rodgers’ teammates were getting frustrated with him.

"When you’re seeing Garrett Wilson on the sidelines visibly frustrated, going off to his receivers coach, having arguments, heated discussions with Aaron Rodgers, something’s gone awry, something’s gone wrong."

Rodgers’ not playing up to his traditionally elite level was only part of the problem according to Woody.

"Watching the Jets offense, it honestly looked like they were constipated. Like nothing came easy. There were no guys open. Everything just felt hard."

It was especially difficult for them to run the ball, with the Jets averaging just 91.8 yards per game on the ground, which was the second-lowest total in the NFL.

According to Woody, several players, such as Allen Lazard and coaches like Nathaniel Hackett, came to New York because of Aaron Rogers. Because of this and Rodgers's shortcomings, Woody believes he must take most of the blame for the Jets’ failure.

"He has to bear the brunt of all that," Woody said.