NFL Rumors: Jets jot down Aaron Rodgers succession plan as $112,500,000 QB questions future

When you play for a New York franchise, the headlines are bound to follow you all around. Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers was handed that rude awakening when he made the move to the New York Jets a year ago, a move that has not paid off.

2024 went off the rails quickly as the Jets fired Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas. Despite trading for Rodgers' old friend Davante Adams, an All-Pro receiver and one of the best at his position, the team's offense has not clicked, failing to get a win in eight of the last nine games. Now, it appears the Jets are preparing a move to get their future sorted out.

On "NFL Game Day" before Week 14's Sunday slate of games, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the team could select a quarterback in next year's draft.

“My understanding is the Jets could and likely will still draft a young quarterback whether or not Aaron Rodgers is still on the roster," Rapoport said. "They draft a young QB they need a bridge starter, essentially that’s what Rodgers is now.”

Rodgers signed a three-year $112.5 million contract with the Jets after the trade from the Packers in April 2023. He then took a voluntary $34 million pay cut to ensure the franchise could add more talent in its pursuit of a Super Bowl.

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Which QBs could be in Jets' grasp at 2025 NFL draft?

Sportskeeda's NFL Draft expert Tony Pauline has the Jets at seventh overall, picking Michigan's Will Johnson given the uncertainty around D.J. Reed's future. Johnson is the second-ranked cornerback after Colorado's Travis Hunter.

If they turn their attention to a QB, fewer options will be available. Pauline has Alabama's Jalen Milroe as the next QB off his board and he may be a reach at seventh overall. If the Jets' losing streak continues, they may end up picking higher, which could put them in the Travis Hunter range, although it all depends on whether they choose to run it back with Rodgers. They still have a new coach and general manager to hire before they make that decision.