During his days with the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers had a problem with head coach Mike McCarthy from the day he was hired in 2006. But, Under McCarthy, Rodgers became the highest-rated quarterback in NFL history (103.1) and at one point the highest-paid player in the game with a contract worth up to $180 million while leading the Packers to the 2010 Super Bowl title. Then why this dislike?

Probably that dates back to 2005. McCarthy was the offensive coordinator with San Francisco when the 49ers made Alex Smith the No. 1 selection in the 2005 draft, passing on Rodgers. Rodgers plummeted deep into the first round before the Packers nabbed him with the 24th pick as the planned successor to Brett Favre. Rodgers would never forget this. They say no one holds a grudge like Rodgers. And it just keeps getting bigger.

“Aaron’s always had a chip on his shoulder with Mike,” says Ryan Grant, the Packers’ starting running back from 2007 to 2012. “The guy who ended up becoming your coach passed on you when he had a chance. Aaron was upset that Mike passed on him—that Mike actually verbally said that Alex Smith was a better quarterback.” And guess how another teammate agrees? “That was a large cancer in the locker room. It wasn’t a secret.” Now come to the New York Jets.

Imagine an NFL locker room as a chessboard. The pieces? Star players, coaches, owners. Now picture Rodgers as the vizier—powerful, unpredictable, and polarizing. For two seasons, the Jets let him move freely, unchecked. But when the board flips, chaos follows. The Jets’ gamble on Rodgers didn’t just backfire—it blew up in their faces. And now, the fallout is spicier than a halftime hot take.

On February 13, the Jets officially cut ties with Rodgers after a messy two-year marriage. The decision followed brutal criticism from NFL legend Rodney Harrison on NBC, who blasted New York for letting Rodgers run the show. Harrison, a two-time Super Bowl champ, didn’t hold back: “I don’t want him in my locker room. Not because I dislike Aaron Rodgers… But his accuracy is not the same.” The stats back him up.

With more sacks (571) than touchdowns (503), and just one Super Bowl appearance to show in a 19-year-long career. Stats speak louder than words for A-Rod. Though he is number 7 in NFL history – passing yardage leaders (62,952 yards), the 2024 season painted a diminishing picture of the veteran QB. Rodgers went 5-12 in 2024, tossing 28 touchdowns but crumbling under pressure. Even reuniting with Davante Adams couldn’t save his sinking ship. Harrison, a Parcells–Belichick disciple, ripped Rodgers’ leadership.

“Team building is important,” he said. “You could take an aging quarterback if he’s a great locker room presence and he’s bringing a lot of positivity… But guys like Aaron that’s on TV.” He pointed to Aaron Rodgers’s declining skills: shaky accuracy, limited mobility, and age (41). “I just don’t think He’s the same player,” Harrison added.

Rodgers was once criticized for taking sacks to avoid the risk of interceptions. Now he risks interceptions to avoid sacks. His lack of mobility, caused in part by the knee and the hamstring and whatever lingers from the Achilles, occasionally manifests itself as nervousness. Game after game, he takes the snap and taps his feet, looking to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible. Even Mike Florio agreed.

“The Aaron Rodgers Experience is just… It’s just too much,” Florio said. Rodgers’ legacy is at a crossroads. He once earned a first-ballot Hall of Fame spot, but now he divides opinions. Florio noted, “If you’re playing at the highest level of your powers, we’ll deal with it. The minute you’re not. We’re not going to deal with this anymore.” But the Raiders, Steelers, or 49ers could gamble on him. However, Harrison warns…

“He’s gotten older, it’s not like he’s become a better leader. It’s not like he’s become more patient with the guys around him so um good luck all the best to Aaron Rodgers,” Harrison wrote. Notably, Rodgers’ notoreity as a ‘cancer’ is not new. Last year, Super Bowl-winning and currently retired defender Chris Canty called out Rodgers on an episode of ESPN Radio’s “Unsportsmanlike.”

“The last couple of years in Green Bay, we suspected that Aaron Rodgers could be a little bit toxic, especially with a young team. I had no idea that it would be this bad,” said Canty. “This guy is a cancer that has metastasized within the New York Jets organization, and I don’t know how they fix it.” While this might be a bit extreme, it is not unknown that the Jets brought in many of their receivers to please Rodgers. In fact, many also believe that he is the reason that New York decided to fire coach Robert Saleh.

Meanwhile, the Jets eye Plan B—trading for Lions backup Hendon Hooker. Harrison also thinks Hooker is a hidden gem, praising his maturity and arm talent. “I’m gonna call Detroit and say, ‘Hey, I’m very interested in Hendon Hooker, your backup quarterback’… I think this young man… he’s big, he’s smart, he’s an older guy… Watch out for that name,” Harrison added. Amid all this, Rodgers’s weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show became a lightning rod.

Pat McAfee drama: truth or fiction?

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini claimed New York wanted Rodgers all-in—no Egypt trips, no media side gigs. But NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport countered. “First of all, I don’t think the Jets really cared that he was on The Pat McAfee Show honestly,” Rapoport said. So, who’s right?

Both. The Jets did discuss expectations with Rodgers, but no ultimatums were issued.“They never asked him to stop and didn’t view it as a distraction. The final decision was far more collective… To be clear, [Russini’s] report is true—aggregators took it and changed it all,“ Rapoport admitted. Could Rodgers pull a Brett Favre? Favre, who flew to the Jets after a breakup with Green Bay, after his time with the Jets, played two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.  There he experienced a career resurgence at 40 years old. He guided the Vikings to a 12-4 record and an NFC Championship appearance. And, in typical Jets fashion, regained his MVP-caliber form after departing from the team.

Florio thinks so. He suggested Rodgers sit out 2025 and wait for a contender’s QB injury. “What if in ’25, it goes back and you’ve got one of these teams… Do you call Aaron Rodgers to save your bu–? And isn’t that a better way for him to go out if he could take the wheel of a team that is Super Bowl-ready?” he mused. Harrison scoffed. “I’d rather have a guy that’s back in my quarterback, my starting quarterback, that’s with the team the entire season… I’d rather go with a younger guy that can get more experience.”

New coach Aaron Glenn is cleaning the house, though. After Rodgers’s exit, the Jets aim for culture over chaos. Their QB options? Veterans like Tyrod Taylor or rookies like Shedeur Sanders. Glenn’s message is clear: This isn’t about one guy. It’s about the team.

Will Rodgers chase a ring or fade into irrelevance? His heart perhaps says ring. Reality says maybe not. For the Jets, the lesson is stark: no player is bigger than the team. The Jets’ Rodgers era ends not with a bang, but a whimper. A fractured locker room, mixed messages, and a QB past his prime…

As Sun Tzu once wrote, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war.” The Jets went to war unprepared. Now, they’re picking up the pieces. Rodgers? He’s just looking for a new board to command.