FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The Aaron Rodgers era is over. Now, what?
The New York Jets, expected to part ways this week with the future Hall of Famer, are back in an all-too-familiar place -- quarterback purgatory. They don't have a young heir apparent, and there's no obvious answer in free agency or the draft. When the Aaron Glenn era debuts in September, the starting quarterback will be ... well, it's a February mystery.
It could be Tyrod Taylor, but that's hardly a sure thing.
Taylor, 35, has 58 career starts and has played well in his limited opportunities, but he has a history of injuries and hasn't started more than six games in a season since 2017. He played only 36 snaps last season in two mop-up outings, throwing three touchdowns.
He can be a bridge quarterback, but that might be stretching it. The Jets also have 2024 fifth-round pick Jordan Travis, but he missed his entire rookie season after a devastating lower left leg injury at Florida State. At this point, he's viewed as a developmental prospect.
Look for the Jets to add a veteran and, quite possibly, a draft pick. This isn't unfamiliar territory for new general manager Darren Mougey, who experienced the same thing in his previous job when the Denver Broncos cut Russell Wilson last year and absorbed a massive cap hit.
The 2025 free agent market is thin, with Sam Darnold, Wilson, Justin Fields and Daniel Jones currently among the top names.
Darnold, coming off a career year with the Minnesota Vikings, will generate interest across the league, but there's little chance of him re-signing with the Jets. They drafted him third overall in 2018, and the three-year marriage wasn't fruitful for either side.
Kirk Cousins could shake free from the Atlanta Falcons, who have committed to Michael Penix Jr. after the making the switch last season. Cousins is an interesting possibility because his former Vikings GM, Rick Spielman, is now the Jets' senior football adviser. He'd be cost-effective. The Falcons are on the hook for his $27.5 million base salary (guaranteed), so the Jets would have to pay only the veterans minimum, roughly $1.2 million.
The Jets will need to be in a cap-conscious mode. Releasing or trading Rodgers will result in $49 million in dead cap charges. That can be spread over two years if they designate him as a June 1 cut, which they can execute at the start of the league year March 12.
Rodgers hasn't publicly committed to playing football next season, but the cap ramifications will be the same if he retires.
The draft offers little hope for finding a surefire replacement. Picking seventh, the Jets probably won't have a shot at the top two consensus quarterbacks in Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. Evaluators say there's a significant drop-off to the next tier of prospects, led by Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe. ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller even projected Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jets in Round 2 last week.
What does Glenn want in his quarterback?
"A winner," he said. "Mental and physical toughness."
Glenn experienced a similar situation as a Jets player in 1998, when then-coach Bill Parcells, in his second season, released Neil O'Donnell. He was a proven starter, and there was a huge cap hit, but O'Donnell wasn't Parcells' cup of tea as a leader.
It was a risky move, but the Jets wound up with Vinny Testaverde, a post-June 1 cut by the Baltimore Ravens. Testaverde, 35 at the time, delivered a career year in 1998, leading the Jets to the AFC Championship Game.
Now, nearly three decades later, Glenn needs to find his Testaverde. Maybe it's Taylor. Or maybe it's Cousins at 36. Cousins said last week that a previously undisclosed shoulder injury caused his late-season slump that led to the switch to Penix.
Evidently, Glenn didn't think Rodgers was right for his program. Several talent evaluators in recent days told ESPN that Rodgers still can be a productive starter, but they wondered about his fit in Glenn's culture.
"Aaron [Rodgers] isn't a bad guy -- he's great -- but personalities clash when you're trying to establish power," one opposing coach said.
Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns, both third on the Jets' single-season list, but this decision went beyond numbers. It involved age, salary cap, scheme fit and culture fit. Glenn is expected to run a tighter ship than the previous regime, and he made it clear in his introductory news conference that he wants 53 players, not one megastar and 52 supporting actors.
"Folks, this isn't about Aaron Rodgers," Glenn told reporters.
The Jets went 5-12 last season -- two wins fewer than 2023, when he missed 16 games because of his torn left Achilles.
"They won five games with him and seven games without him," former Jets star Keyshawn Johnson. "What is it that he brings to the table at 42 years old [in December] with an Achilles and a new coach and a new environment and a new culture?
"He threw a receiver [Mike Williams] under the bus and ran it back twice over him. He went to Egypt during minicamp. He goes on those ayahuasca things. He's always pointing to [his coaches]. It's too much. In my opinion, if I was taking the job, he ain't worth it to me."
Now the Jets say goodbye as they look to rebuild at quarterback once again.