The New York Jets have announced their intention to move on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers in what will likely be a post-June 1 cut. It’s a strong first move for a new regime, headlined by head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, to try and establish a new culture.
The decision immediately ruffled feathers, prompting some players to feel that another rebuild was underway, rather than an attempt at contention with Rodgers at the helm. Perhaps most importantly, the move ostracizes receiver Davante Adams.
While not exactly a package deal, Adams and Rodgers have a not-so-invisible string connecting them. Rodgers left the Green Bay Packers a year after Adams was traded to the Raiders. Early in Rodgers’ second season in New York, Adams wanted out of Las Vegas and into East Rutherford. In a matter of weeks, they made it happen, and Adams spent much of the 2024 season catching passes from his preferred battery mate.
It didn’t lead to much success. The team finished 5-12, fired its head coach and general manager, and sent Rodgers packing. It feels like only a matter of time before Adams follows him somewhere else.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Mougey hinted at an Adams plan for the coming weeks.
“Davante is on the team right now,” Mougey said, via Pro Football Talk. “Obviously we have a plan there and in the next few weeks we will kind of address that issue, but Davante is on the team.”
Fortunately for New York, there aren’t a ton of bad options waiting for Mougey to make his first mistake in his new role. If Adams wants to stay, great, the Jets will have two quality receivers on the boundary. But with no guaranteed money left on his deal, New York can pivot away from him with little issue.
A pre-June 1 cut or trade would incur $8.3 million in dead money while saving $29.9 million (per Over the Cap). A post-June 1 cut (or trade, should the situation drag into the summer) would bring the dead money down to $2.1 million in 2025 with $36 million in savings.
It seems the deciding factor on moving off of Adams, if he wants to leave, is how much that extra cap space means to them in free agency. If the Jets plan on being big players in free agency, a swift release/trade is worth the extra dead money. If 2026 looks to be better for a spending spree, waiting until June to reap the cap benefits is fine, too.
The New York faithful shouldn’t expect Adams back, but moving on from two high-profile veterans doesn’t have to be some stain on the regime’s first offseason.
