It was never an ultimatum, and Aaron Rodgers was never going to stay with the New York Jets, regardless of his appearances with Pat McAfee. Taking the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, newly appointed Jets general manager Darren Mougey addressed the elephant in the room: Rodgers. He aimed to clarify that he and head coach Aaron Glenn are moving in a different direction, one that does not include a 41-year-old future Hall of Famer.
As reported by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Rodgers wanted his time in New York to end. However, the reports on how they arrived at this point have been conflicting. Russini indicated that during discussions regarding Rodgers’ future in the NFL, whether with the Jets or elsewhere, the team made it clear they no longer wanted the embattled quarterback to appear on The Pat McAfee Show as part of any potential return.
Mougey wanted to clarify his stance, stating, “I’m not here to confirm or deny any rumors that happened during that process. I will say this: there was never an ultimatum or rules of engagement for Aaron to potentially join the Jets again — that never happened. [Aaron Glenn] and I had a lot of dialogue, a lot of conversations, a lot of good thoughts, and just felt at the end of the day, it was the best thing for the Jets moving forward.” He aimed to ensure that the narrative was correctly framed as the team moving ahead without Rodgers.
Darren Mougey says Aaron Rodgers was never given an ultimatum or rules of engagement by the team
Mougey gives respect to Rodgers and adds “that was the decision we made, look forward to moving past that and into the next process with free agency and the draft” pic.twitter.com/yVQquVYK6n
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Ultimately, Rodgers’ time in New York was always destined to end. While the narrative around his departure has been obscured by conflicting reports, Mougey’s comments on Tuesday underscored that there were no ultimatums, just a mutual understanding that the Jets are looking ahead—without the veteran quarterback.
