With the 2025 NFL Draft almost here, it’s still unclear what Aaron Rodgers’ future holds. He made it clear he’s dealing with some personal issues, so there isn’t a lot of clarity on the timeline of his decision. It sounds like he could join the Pittsburgh Steelers, but nothing is done yet. However, he did explain how frustrated he was with the way the New York Jets handled parting ways with him.
“We sit down in the office, and I think we’re gonna have this long conversation,” Rodgers said recently on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’ve flown across the country and 20 seconds in, [Jets head coach Aaron Glenn] goes, literally I’m talking to the GM about something, and [Glenn] leans to the edge of his seat and goes, ‘So, you wanna play football?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m interested.’
“And he said, ‘We’re going a different direction at quarterback.’ I was kind of shocked. Now, I’m not shocked because I didn’t think that was a possibility. Of course they wanna move on. That’s totally fine, but shocked because I just flew across country. You could have told me this on the phone if we weren’t even gonna have a conversation.”
Rodgers’ two-year stint with the Jets was ugly. There were a lot of issues, and the team didn’t win many games. It doesn’t sound like the Jets’ new regime had any intentions on keeping Rodgers on the team. Some people have criticized Rodgers for ripping the Jets, feeling like they were in the right to get rid of him like that. Cam Heyward isn’t among them.
“How can this be praised?” Heyward said in a tweet in response to NFL Rumors mentioning how fans are praising the Jets for their treatment of Rodgers. “This ain’t cool….”
This offseason, Heyward has made several public comments about Rodgers. While some things he’s said might have come off as negative, Heyward has said many times that he’d love for Rodgers to join the Steelers. This post in support of Rodgers seems like another example that Heyward doesn’t have a serious problem with the four-time NFL MVP.
It is a complicated situation, though. Maybe Rodgers would’ve been just as upset had the Jets essentially fired him over the phone. However, they could’ve also probably been a little more up front with him about how little interest they had in retaining him.
In another tweet, Heyward made his feelings clearer.
Heyward makes a good point. If the Jets didn’t want to have a long conversation with Rodgers, they could’ve just talked to his agent. In fairness to Glenn and company, they weren’t with the Jets when Rodgers was brought in. That decision had nothing to do with him, so it isn’t surprising that they’d move on from him. However, the manner in which they expressed that could’ve probably been handled better.
Rodgers is a controversial figure. However, many of his former teammates have nice things to say about him. It doesn’t sound like he was a complete disaster in their locker room. A player with his resumé might’ve deserved a little more respect from the Jets.
If Rodgers does join the Steelers, he’ll have an opportunity to play the Jets this year. It sounds like his main problem is with Glenn. Rodgers would probably be extra motivated to win that game. Maybe that will help him decide to join the Steelers if he returns to football.
