NFL insider reveals state of locker room after Jets owner Woody Johnson suggested benching Aaron Rodgers
The New York Jets and their quarterback Aaron Rodgers are having a down year, and drastic changes have already been made this season.
The Jets acquired wide receiver Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders, then traded wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers after signing him in free agency. After a 2-3 start, the Jets fired their coach, Robert Saleh.
Fast forward to Week 12, the Jets enter their bye week with a 3-8 record. Earlier this week, they fired general manager Joe Douglas.
Amid their struggles, Jets owner Woody Johnson suggested benching Rodgers earlier this week in a team meeting. According to NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic, some were surprised by Johnson's idea, and some thought it was a joke.
Russini said:
"I had some people explain it to me as Woody just wanted to hold everyone accountable in the room. And in just an idea, he said, ‘Bench Aaron Rodgers,' to see what the reaction would have been. This is what the version of ownership is and the way that was going down."
Russini continued:
"This is just supposed to be me suggesting, ‘Is Aaron unfixable?’ Whereas the coaches heard it (along with Joe Douglas), all heard it as a real thing like, 'We should bench Aaron Rodgers.' Some thought he was joking. Some laughed. Some went up to each other other the meeting like, ‘Was he being serious? Is this real?’”
In 11 games this season, Rodgers has completed 63.4 percent of his passes and has thrown for 2,442 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Rodgers, for sure, has not played well, especially by his standards, but benching him might not do the Jets any good.
The Aaron Rodgers-New York Jets experiment has been a failure so far
The Green Bay Packers traded Aaron Rodgers and their first and fifth-round selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. In exchange, they got the Jets' first, second and sixth-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and a conditional 2024 second-round pick.
In return, the Jets have gotten a 3-8 record from Rodgers in two seasons. Last season, he didn't even get to play as he tore his Achilles on the team's first offensive series of the season.
This season, with the additions of Davante Adams and Haason Reddick among others, many thought the Jets would be Super Bowl contenders and would fight for the AFC East division.
The Jets are 3-8, are close to being eliminated from the playoffs, and currently don't have a head coach or general manager. They have a lot of uncertainty in their future.