It was a messy Jets divorce from Aaron Rodgers’ perspective.
The 41-year-old quarterback broke his offseason silence on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday and railed against new Jets coach Aaron Glenn and how he and the the team handled their decision to move on from him.
Rodgers said he flew across the country from California to New Jersey for what he expected to be a lengthy meeting on Feb. 9 about his future.
Instead, Rodgers claimed the Jets ended the meeting after 40 minutes and it started with Glenn “running out of the room” to get general manager Darren Mougey.
“That was kind of strange…,” Rodgers said. “I think we are going to have this long conversation. I’ve flown across the country and 20 seconds in, he goes and he leans to the edge of his seat and says, ‘So, you want to play football?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m interested.’ And he was like, ‘We’re going in a different direction at quarterback.’
“I was kind of shocked. Not shocked because I didn’t think it was a possibility, but shocked because I just flew across the country and you could’ve told me this over the phone.”
Rodgers said that the Jets’ only concern was with how he wanted the information released and “the messaging” that came with the announcement.
“I don’t give a s–t about the messaging. Why?” Rodgers said.
Rodgers claimed Glenn was concerned that Rodgers would “undermine” his message to the team if he remained part of the roster — and described a contentious conversation between the two.
“It was a very strange meeting, for sure,” Rodgers. “There was no me pleading, ‘Please have me on the team.’ I don’t want to be a part of that. It was already a debacle in some cases. That whole situation was crazy. That was a little rogue by the head coach.”
Rodgers said he talked to Mougey later and was very complimentary of Christopher Johnson, the brother of owner Woody Johnson.
Glenn has been tight-lipped about the Jets’ decision to split with Rodgers — and got agitated when asked repeatedly about it at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“I don’t want to disrespect any of the other players we have on our team,” Glenn said. “It kind of pisses me off and some of the other players that that’s what we all talk about. You have Quinnen Williams. You have Quincy Williams. You have [Alijah Vera-Tucker]. You have Joe Tippmann. All those guys need to be respected as far as winning games also.”
Rodgers spent two years with the team — one that ended after four plays due to an Achilles injury and another that was a disappointing 5-12.
Both head coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas were fired during the dismal 2024 campaign and replaced by Glenn and Mougey.
This is Glenn’s first head coaching job after spending the past four seasons as the Lions’ defensive coordinator.
Rodgers has not decided which team he will play for next — or if he will play in 2025 — as he detailed to McAfee that he is dealing with serious issues in his personal life.
The Steelers seem the most logical destination, should Rodgers opt to return to the nFL.
