Forget Rodgers wearing green next year

There's no doubt Aaron Rodgers won't retire after this season since he doesn't want to end on this awful note, but look for him to take take his act elsewhere.

If you seriously think Aaron Rodgers would hang it up after this year, think again.

There’s no way the Jets quarterback would retire after the season he has had with the Jets. If he retires, he wants to end it on a good note such as playing in the playoffs and win a playoff game.

This is why Rodgers mentioned on Wednesday he has plans to play in 2025.

Here’s the only question: Where?

It certainly won’t be with the New York Jets. I will be surprised if the Jets and Rodgers want to keep this marriage going after this season.

The Jets went all in with Rodgers for two years with nothing to show for it. In his first season, it was a wash since his season ended after four snaps in the Jets season opener against the Buffalo Bills. This season, he has been a bust.

What’s the point of thinking that the third time will be a charm?

Rodgers has played like a washed-up quarterback this season. He’s ranked 24th out of 32 qualified passers in Total QBR (52.0) with 15 touchdown passes, seven interceptions and a career-low 6.4 yards per attempt. He hasn’t elevated the Jets based on their 3-7 season.

It just could be that age has caught up to him. After all, he is 40 and turning 41 soon. Hamstring, knee and ankle injuries played a role in his diminishing skills. He was coming off an Achilles surgery last year after he went down in the season opener.

It’s fair to say Rodgers wouldn’t have been great for the Jets last season if he was healthy. The offensive line wasn’t that good, and his skills started to diminish in his final season with the Green Bay Packers when his lack of mobility betrayed him. There was a reason the Packers were more than happy to let him go to the Jets, and now the Jets are finding out why.

The former Packers quarterback hasn’t exactly been a leader, either. His odd personality brings negative vibes around the team.

Gang Green must have seen enough of him by now. Rodgers can say the same thing about his Jets experience.

The Jets quarterback created all these distractions whether he was pondering about being Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vice president if the younger Kennedy actually won the presidential election, which never materialized at all, or going to Egypt this summer rather than participating in the team’s June mandatory minicamp.

The Jets were happy to tolerate it since he was a proven, experienced quarterback who knew how to win when they acquired him. This hasn’t been the case.

Rodgers is never going to change. He is who he is by being set in his ways. He likes to dictate how things should be done on his terms. He has been used to having power with the Jets.

It’s hard to think he will be any better next year. The Jets are better off having a reset altogether. Jets head coach Robert Saleh was hastily fired after five games in an attempt to provide a spark to a 2-3 team. Jeff Ulbrich has no chance of coming back after his woeful 1-4 performance as interim coach. Joe Douglas will likely be fired after a 30-63 record in his tenure as Jets general manager.

The new head coach and new general manager likely would want a new quarterback to work with. If Woody Johnson somehow sells the Jets, the new owner would definitely want a reset altogether.

Rodgers thought he could transform the Jets. That hasn’t been the case. The players seemed to be disengaged more than ever. He hasn’t worked well with Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson. Mike Williams and the Jets quarterback never clicked, and it was telling when Williams talked about his enjoyment of working with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson after he caught his first touchdown on Sunday in the Steelers’ 28-27 victory over the Washington Commanders.

The losing and the culture likely got to Rodgers now just like anyone who plays or played for the Jets. It shows turning the team around is harder than it looks.

The Jets quarterback probably wants a fresh start in a successful organization that can help him win.

Here’s the problem with this idea: There are not many successful teams that have a job opening at quarterback.

If Rodgers come back, he may have to play for a mediocre team like the Indianapolis Colts or New Orleans Saints. He could try to play for the Minnesota Vikings if quarterback J.J. McCarthy can’t recover from knee surgery next season.

But there are not many teams out there for him, so who knows how this ends up for him. He may have no choice but to retire.

Rodgers still feels he has it. If he finishes the season strong, he is going to make a case that he can contribute to other teams next year.

The Jets may have nothing to play for, but Rodgers certainly does.

One thing is for sure: There will not be a happy ending for Rodgers and the Jets.

Rodgers becomes just another one of those guys who couldn’t take the Jets to the promised land.

This is what people in town will remember him by, and even if he finds the Fountain of Youth next season with another NFL team, he can’t erase his Jets experience.