Jets' Aaron Glenn, Darren Mougey not interested in discussing decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn speaks during a news conference at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
INDIANAPOLIS — Aaron Glenn got a little feisty when he was asked about moving on from Aaron Rodgers. Glenn said it bothers him and some Jets players that Rodgers is always the topic of conversation.
This was the first time Glenn and new Jets general manager Darren Mougey addressed reporters since announcing that they will release Rodgers. Mougey didn’t offer much of a reason when he spoke at the NFL Combine on Tuesday. Glenn followed Mougey and said that the GM had already spoken about it and nothing more needed to be said.
Glenn expressed frustration when he was asked if he’s confident the Jets can find a better quarterback than Rodgers in 2025.
“We're confident we’re trying to win games,” Glenn said “So what that may be, it is what it is — and that's it. The thing is, I don't want to disrespect any of the players we have on our team. It kind of [ticks] me off, and some of the other players, that that's what we all talk about.”
Glenn went on to rattle off some prominent Jets: Quinnen Williams, Quincy Williams, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Joe Tippmann.
“All those guys need to be respected as far as winning games also,” Glenn said.
Rodgers will be released after the start of the new league year next month. He likely will be a post-June 1 cut, which allows the Jets to spread his $49 million dead cap charge over two years.
“We just felt at the end of the day, it was the best thing for the Jets moving forward, just going in a different direction at the quarterback position,” Mougey said. “That was a decision we made and look forward to kind of moving past that and into this next process here with free agency and the draft.”
Mougey wouldn’t expound any further other than saying that Rodgers was never given “an ultimatum or rules of engagement” to potentially join the Jets again. There was a report that the Jets wanted Rodgers to stop appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Quinnen Williams was not happy when news initially broke that the Jets would release Rodgers. Williams tweeted “Another rebuild year for me I guess.” He quickly deleted it, though. Glenn said he has spoken to Williams since then.
“I understand the reaction of the players, but I will say this: Every decision that me and Mougey make is to win and to win now,” Glenn said. “So, I understand it, but this is not going to be the last decision that I make that’s going to upset some people. That’s OK. But as men, we talk about it. We make sure we keep it in-house. That’s what we're going to continue to do.”
The Jets' new regime has turned the page on Rodgers already. They’re in the market for a quarterback now. Both Glenn and Mougey spoke highly of Tyrod Taylor. He could be the Jets’ Week 1 starter depending on how the offseason goes.
“We're going to exhaust all options,” Mougey said. “Obviously, there's a lot of intriguing prospects here this week at the Combine. We'll dive into that, some in free agency and we'll keep all options open at quarterback and really every position on the team.”
The Jets have the No. 7 pick. It’s hard to predict whether a franchise quarterback will drop to them, or if this draft even has one. Mougey didn’t rule out trading up or down to fill any needs.
Letting Rodgers go also likely means Davante Adams won’t be back. If he is, the Jets would want Adams to restructure his deal. He’s owed $29.8 million, but it’s not guaranteed. Mougey and Glenn were noncommittal about Adams’ future.
“He’s on the team right now, and we got to continue to have conversations about how we're going to move in that direction,” Glenn said. “We're in the business of collecting good players, and we'll see how that goes moving forward.”
Mougey said, “Davante's on the team right now. Obviously, we have a plan there, and in the next few weeks, we'll kind of address that issue.”
Glenn and Mougey also addressed the possibilities of signing Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner to contract extensions.
“The to-do list is to keep good young players on the team and add good players,” Mougey said.
Glenn added, “I keep saying this, man: We're trying to keep good players on the Jets. That's the way to win games.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
