Aaron Rodgers’ 2024 season with the Jets? Think The Godfather Part III—predictable heartbreak with a glimmer of hope. The 40-year-old QB logged 3,897 yards, 28 TDs, and 11 picks with a 90.5 rating, but the Jets collapsed to a 5-12 finish. Despite a $75M guarantee on a $112.5M deal, it felt less like an MVP encore and more like heading for the iceberg. In his final Jets days, Rodgers “pleaded to stay,” per the NY Post, but New York chose a messy breakup.
Rodgers’ Jets exit wasn’t just a breakup—it was a Shakespearean tragedy. The NY Post reported he spent his final days “pleading to stay before accepting his fate like a man going to the gallows.” Imagine him channeling his inner Jack from Titanic: “I’ll never let go, Jets!” But New York’s front office? They were all, “Cool story, bro,” cutting ties faster than snapping fingers. The fallout? A $35M cap hit and Rodgers suddenly NFL free agency’s most divisive plot twist.
For everything you’ve given us the past two years, thank you 8 pic.twitter.com/JvPneWMgEI
— New York Jets (@nyjets) February 13, 2025
But let’s rewind. Rodgers’ Jets tenure was a rollercoaster with no seatbelts. In 2023, he tore his Achilles four snaps into his debut—Scream Levels of Horror—then returned in 2024 looking like a guy trying to parallel park a semi-truck. Sure, he had moments: Week 3’s 281-yard, 2-TD clinic against the Patriots (“I’m baaack,” The Shining vibes) and Week 14’s 274-yard, 4-TD masterpiece, including his 500th career TD pass (joining the Mount Rushmore of QB legends).
But sprinkle in injuries—knee, ankle, hamstring—and a locker room split over his Pat McAfee Show antics, and it’s no wonder the Jets noped out. And Rodgers himself, ever the drama king, left NYC whispering, “I love you, Pam,” to Fox’s Pam Oliver like a rom-com exit.
Je’Rod Cherry sounds the alarm: “Stay away like it’s a Nuclear waste dump“
Now, enter the Cleveland Browns, QB-desperate after Deshaun Watson’s Achilles tear left them 3-14—their worst since 2017. Cue three-time Super Bowl champ Je’Rod Cherry, who’s got hotter takes than a jalapeño popper. The man who once raffled a Super Bowl ring for charity (swoon) isn’t here for Rodgers’ redemption arc: “Nothing on the roster right now is better than Aaron Rodgers. I agree…but there’s this big question mark—what’s in between his ears? Based on what I’ve seen in a Jets uniform, stay away like it’s a nuclear waste dump.”
.@JRCherry3 thinks the Browns should STAY AWAY from Aaron Rodgers. @NickPaulus thinks they should sign him.
Should the Browns go after Rodgers? pic.twitter.com/4whMnfRkxM
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 14, 2025
When analyst Nick Paulus floated signing Rodgers “at a bargain discount,” Cherry hit back with Fast & Furious energy: “You gotta stop buying lemons. They break down…more problems than they’re worth.”Cleveland’s front office likely feels the heat—Rodgers’ 368 completions last year weren’t a fluke, but pairing him with Watson’s $230M contract spells financial chaos.
Meanwhile, rumors swirl—Steelers? Raiders? 49ers? But SI warns the Browns against inviting a “circus they don’t need.” But wait—Rodgers isn’t without love. Jets tackle Mekhi Becton gushed, “I love Aaron to death…he’s still got great ball left.”
So here’s the kicker: Rodgers, NFL’s ultimate “fixer-upper” project. Cleveland’s choice? Roll the dice on a HOFer with more baggage than Home Alone’s McCallisters, or swipe left harder than Mean Girls’ Regina George. Either way, grab popcorn. Rodgers saga is set to be as gripping as a Succession boardroom meltdown. And Je’Rod Cherry? He’s already popped the champagne, yelling, “Not it!”
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