Aaron Rodgers and Woody Johnson (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson’s early-season plan for Aaron Rodgers has been revealed, and it’s pretty shocking.

The situation at Jets HQ is quite messy right now. The team fired general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday, just six weeks after parting ways with head coach Robert Saleh.

However, it appears that things are a lot worse than everyone thought.

A report from The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt and Dianna Russini claims Johnson wanted Rodgers benched after Week 4 and suggested that Tyrod Taylor should start.

The Jets were a manageable 2-2 back then.

“The coaches had been called in to explain what happened with their units during the 10-9 home loss to the Broncos,” the report reads. “During the meeting, Johnson suggested to the coaches that they bench Aaron Rodgers in favor of Tyrod Taylor because he felt Rodgers’ performance was holding the team back. The coaches and Douglas, stunned at the suggestion, talked him out of it and convinced Johnson to stay the course and that benching Rodgers, with his pedigree, four games into the season would not sit well with the locker room. 

“The coaches also felt it would embarrass Rodgers. The idea of benching the future Hall of Famer sounded so absurd that one coach asked whether the owner was serious — multiple sources from that meeting believed he was.”

Woody Johnson Has Been On The Warpath Since

While the Jets coaches were able to get Woody to change his mind on Rodgers, the owner decided to fire Saleh a week later without consulting Douglas. Now Douglas is out of a job himself.

Fox Sports insider Jordan Schultz noted that the former GM lost control of the team’s affairs from that point. Higher-ups within the organization were credited with the decision to trade for wide receiver Davante Adams and rework edge rusher Haason Reddick’s contract.

Given this latest scoop, it appears that Rodgers could indeed be benched by New York at some point. Or maybe he refuses to play now that the news is out there, who knows?

Will This Be The Last Season For Aaron Rodgers? Everything About The NFL Star’s Poor Run

Aaron Rodgers (Image Credit: Getty Image)
Aaron Rodgers has been a legend in the realm of the NFL for a long time now. Winning the Super Bowl in 2011 with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers established himself as one of the biggest stars of the game. Unfortunately, with his time with the Packers coming to an end, A-Rod’s NFL journey has taken quite a hit. Signing with the New York Jets, Rodgers hasn’t been able to replicate his performance from the past. And now, with the complications only getting worse, this might well be the last time we get to see Aaron Rodgers in the gridiron.

Will Aaron Rodgers Retire After 2024? 

Aaron Rodgers won four MVP awards while he was with the Packers. Unfortunately, those high standards look like a shadow of his past self. For instance, A-Rod failed to get a single 300-yard game. Speaking about his numbers, Rodgers has managed only seven interceptions along with 15 touchdowns. Add to that, his absence during the entirety of the last season due to injury. Thus, with such sorry stats, the speculations are already making noise about 2024 being A-Rod’s final season.

Here is what I’m hearing around the NFL:https://t.co/AYzDYMgMOK pic.twitter.com/qW3dtd23a5

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) November 16, 2024

Confirming the possibilities, The Athletic’s Diana Russini stated that Jets’ owner Woody Johnson will likely be enjoying an ambassadorial position under the Donald Trump administration. Thus, the vice chairman, Christopher Johnson, is expected to take over the reins. Knowing that the organization does not owe any money to Rodgers, they might not consider signing Rodgers next season. And this is not the first time Rodgers’ retirement rumors have picked up pace.

Rich Cimini Doubles Down On Aaron Rodgers’ Potential Retirement 

After the Jets lost yet another game to the Bills back on October 15, 2024, the discontent regarding Rodgers’ NFL farewell grew large. Speaking on the matter, ESPN’s Rich Cimini had his own take to chime in with. And not to mention, it was not a pleasant one for A-Rod to hear. While analyzing the NFL star’s performance this season, Cimini also echoed a similar sentiment about 2024 being Rodgers’ last.

“He’s just not playing well, I think his body is beat up, I think if the Jets miss the playoffs, which it certainly appears they will, the Jets will start over next year. I’m not basing that on anything Rodgers told me or anyone in his circle told me. I just think this is probably going to be his final season,” Cimini stated. Thus, with things going wrong, it now remains to be seen whether Rodgers can salvage whatever is left of the ongoing season.