Last week, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers revealed he wants to be part of “a good team” whenever his divorce from the Jets becomes official this offseason.
On the latest edition of the “Scoop City” podcast, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic suggested that clubs Rodgers may be interested in joining aren’t all that high on him heading into March.
“There’s no one team that I’m hearing that is, in the market, locked in on Rodgers,” Russini explained, as shared by Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report.
While some national media personalities have tried to link Rodgers with quarterback-needy teams such as the Indianapolis Colts,
Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, reporters who cover those clubs have poured cold water over the idea of the franchises pursuing the future Hall of Famer.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated is among noteworthy members of the NFL community who previously said the Los Angeles Rams could trade Matthew Stafford and then sign Rodgers to a team-friendly deal, but it now appears people within the league believe Stafford and the Rams will “shake something out” regarding an agreement that will keep him with the club through at least the 2025 season.
The Tennessee Titans and New York Giants could both use bridge options at the position, but neither is considered a “good team.” Both clubs are coming off 3-14 seasons and are viewed as potential landing spots for Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, the advertised top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.
As of the final Tuesday of February, there is no indication the Minnesota Vikings are considering starting Rodgers over 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy later this year.
“Russini cited the obvious concerns with the 41-year-old: his age, the Achilles injury from 2023 and his generally underwhelming run with the New York Jets,” Zucker added.
Specifically, Rodgers missed just about all of the 2023 season after he tore his Achilles in September of that year, and he then dealt with injuries to both of his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem this past fall. Additionally, the perception exists that coaches/front-office personnel feel that the outside noise associated with Rodgers outweighs what he can give teams on NFL Sundays at this stage of his career.
In short, Rodgers may have to wait to see if even an advertised average team needs his services by the time training-camp practices open this coming summer.