Wild Aaron Rodgers replacement proposed by NFL insider

Saying Aaron Rodgers' tenure with the New York Jets failed miserably is an understatement that wouldn't do it justice. Even the four-time NFL MVP is no longer safe, considering he's at risk of being cut in-season.

Rodgers' inevitable fate will mark the last nail in the coffin of a memorable yet forgetful era. But it's too late — the damage is already done. He wreaked havoc and destroyed the once-promising Jets squad from the top down in death-by-a-thousand-cuts fashion.

New York is suddenly starting at ground zero (again). The Jets have vacant head coach and general manager positions. Furthermore, whoever leads the new regime will be tasked with finding Rodgers' successor this upcoming offseason, though the selection pool isn't expected to be great. However, The Athletic's Dianna Russini identified one option that's so crazy it might just work: Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

NFL insider wildly floats Jets replacing Aaron Rodgers with Trevor Lawrence

"The Jets could explore trading for Trevor Lawrence or drafting a quarterback," Russini states ($). But as she points out, the 2025 NFL Draft class' group of signal-callers "appears week," making the Jaguars franchise passer a more appealing alternative.

While this year's list of prospects isn't deep, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward of Miami have established themselves as the two consensus top gunslingers. Meanwhile, sitting at 2-9, the Jags currently boast the 2025 No. 1 pick. So, Jacksonville can move on from Lawrence and pivot to one of the previously mentioned options should they continue losing at this rate.

On the surface, Jacksonville parting ways with Lawrence sounds preposterous. After all, the Jaguars chose him first overall in 2021. Since then, he's guided them to the playoffs once and earned a Pro Bowl nod. Moreover, his five-year, $275 million contract extension from this past June notably starts in 2026, which is the icing on the cake.

But from a deeper perspective, it's not far-fetched to think the Jaguars make Lawrence available. Like the Jets, Jacksonville will presumably search for a new brain trust this offseason since major organizational changes are ostensibly on the horizon. With a new leadership group likely stepping into power, they may want "their guy" under center, rendering the 25-year-old expendable.

Nonetheless, there would surely be a bidding war for Lawrence's services if the Jags shopped him and the asking price would be substantial. Seeing how the Rodgers experiment blew up in their face, it's hard to envision the Jets being eager to shell out premium assets. The turnaround from one all-in blockbuster swap to another would be frighteningly quick. Gang Green toning down their aggressive approach and rebuilding properly might not hurt.