New York Jets moving on from quarterback Rodgers

The New York Jets have told quarterback Aaron Rodgers they are moving on without him next season.

While Rodgers has not said whether he intends to continue playing for a 21st NFL season, the Jets - with new general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn in charge - have officially ruled out a return to New York.

In a joint statement issued by the team, Mougey and Glenn said they met with the 41-year-old quarterback last week and informed him of their plans.

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"It was important to have this discussion now to provide clarity and enable each of us the proper time to plan for our respective futures," Mougey and Glenn said in the statement.

"We want to thank him for the leadership, passion and dedication he brought to the organization and wish him success moving forward."

The four-time MVP, who is the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdown passes in the regular season, has one year of non-guaranteed money left on his contract with the Jets.

New York would absorb a $49m (£39m) dead money charge next season unless it designates Rodgers a post-June 1 cut and can spread out that charge over two years.

In April 2023, Rodgers was traded to the Jets after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers - looking to help the franchise end a Super Bowl drought.

"I personally want to thank Aaron for his time at the New York Jets," owner Woody Johnson said in a statement.

"His arrival in 2023 was met with unbridled excitement and I will forever be grateful that he chose to join us to continue his Hall of Fame career.

"From day one, he embodied all that it meant to be a New York Jet, embraced our fans and immersed himself in our city. That is what I will remember most when I look back at his time here.

"He will always be welcome and I wish him only the best in whatever he chooses to do next."

Rodgers looks a shade of his former self

Analysis by Sky Sports News' Cam Hogwood:

"The Jets believed they had found their route back to long-awaited Super Bowl contention and a solution to quarterback purgatory when they acquired Aaron Rodgers in a blockbuster trade ahead of the 2023 season.

"He emerged for his debut flying the American flag to the sight of strobe lighting, like a scene from a movie, only to suffer a year-ending Achilles injury just four plays into the regular season against the Buffalo Bills.

"It would prove a tone-setter for a marriage that capitulated into divorce, with head coach Robert Saleh a casualty along the way as he was fired midway through the 2024 season.

"It was a deal that promised so much, Rodgers joining what looked like a championship-calibre defense, with some of the brightest stars in the league for company in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.

"He was even joined by an old friend when the Jets traded for Davante Adams during the season in what represented one last roll of the dice.

"In the end, the damage had been done. Rodgers, even after his recovery, looked a shade of his former four-time MVP self, a lack of mobility hamstringing the playmaking ability that had fuelled his previous supremacy as he failed to keep up with the might of the AFC and its depth of Super Bowl-chasing quarterbacks.

"What was supposed to be the Jets' path to a Super Bowl is now set to become a tough $49m in dead money to stomach. They are also once again left seeking answers at the most important position in sport as they look to maximise what remains a young team with the talent to compete with the league's best.

"As for Rodgers, it's hard to envision him wanting to play anywhere other than within a team with the potential to help him win a second ring."