Aaron Rodgers sounds ancient in depressing update about his Jets future

Aaron Rodgers future in New York is set in stone, and it's not ideal for a quarterback destined for Canton. Rodgers is on the wrong side of 40, and while some quarterbacks can defy father time for a few years – see Tom Brady, for example – most hit a wall by this point in their careers.

The fact Rodgers can still take the field at his age and start for that matter speaks to his reputation, rather than his current ability. The Jets fired Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas in the middle of the season. Team owner Woody Johnson is not happy with the Jets performance, and Rodgers is the only person left for the pharmaceutical giant to point the finger at.

Latest Aaron Rodgers update is depressing for the future Hall-of-Famer

The Jets can get out of Rodgers contract this offseason. In all likelihood, that will happen, even if Johnson has to fork over some money to make it happen. New York is starting over, again. Rostering a quarterback over the age of 40 is not conducive to rebuilding. Rodgers surely knows this, and if he wants to keep playing, he should welcome another opportunity.

Nonetheless, the latest update on his status by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network makes Rodgers sound like a man on his last legs, literally.

Yikes! Rodgers reportedly hasn't been checked out by the Jets medical team in part because he believes they would bench him if anything looked off. To his credit, Rodgers is probably right about that. Benching Rodgers gives the Jets the best chance to lose football games and thus earn a higher draft pick. That is in their best interest long term.

There's only one way this ends for Rodgers. The Jets will let him go once the season ends. From there, he'll have two choices – he can retire as a Packer, or play elsewhere in hopes of reviving what is left of his career. That might mean competing for a starting spot at best.

His time with the Jets is all but over, though, despite his current status as the team's starting quarterback.