Seahawks star’s Aaron Rodgers insult should cement aging QB’s fate with the Jets

It feels like every game is a new version of Groundhog Day for the New York Jets, who are favored by oddsmakers to win and find an excruciating new way to lose. That was certainly the case in Week 13 as the Jets blew leads of 14-0 and 21-13 to lose to the Seattle Seahawks 26-21 to fall to 3-9 on the season, securing their ninth consecutive losing campaign in the process.

Seattle added insult to injury as two prominent former Jets played key roles in the win, including Geno Smith (who went 20-for-31 for 206 yards and a touchdown) and Leonard Williams, who got the Seahawks back into the game with a pick six of Aaron Rodgers in the second quarter.

Williams, who appears to be loving life with Seattle, shared an astute observation after the game that essentially sums up why the Jets can't get going with Rodgers under center.

Leonard Williams calls out Aaron Rodgers for being too old to be effective

When asked by reporters after the game to discuss his pick six, Williams made it clear that he felt Rodgers' decision making process has changed as he has gotten older.

As anyone who watches sports knows, Father Time always comes for the best of us and Rodgers is no exception. While the future Hall of Famer will show flashes of brilliance at times during a game, the Jets have gotten a slower version of Rodgers who doesn't want to take big hits and is clearly in decline.

With a housecleaning already underway, the next logical question for the Jets is what to do with Rodgers, who has already indicated in the media that he wants to return for 2025 as of now. The Jets will have to take a big salary cap hit if they move on from him after the season (or if Rodgers retires), absorbing a $49 million dead cap hit if he is off the roster prior to June 1st.

The other option would be to designate Rodgers as a post-June 1st cut, allowing them to spread the dead cap hit between 2025 and 2026, but that would leave a $35 million cap charge on the Jets' books two years after a potential release. If Rodgers does play for the Jets in 2025, that would be the final year of his current deal as it contains four void years from 2026-2028, meaning the Jets would absorb a $63 million dead cap hit in 2026 since Rodgers will earn a $35 million roster bonus in 2025.

That kind of penalty would be worth it if Rodgers was turning back the clock and delivering the Jets to the promised land, but at 3-9 it makes no sense to muddy the books beyond next season. While the departure of Rodgers would likely lead to a mass exodus of veterans, it would make more sense for a new regime to use Tyrod Taylor (who is under contract for 2025) as a bridge quarterback until a more long-term option presents itself.