Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbuam has declared ‘it’s over’ for Aaron Rodgers and that the quarterback is already retired.
Rodgers, who was told by the franchise in February that they were moving on from him, has yet to find a new home in free agency despite talks with the Vikings, Giants and Steelers. Pittsburgh, whose current QB1 is career backup Mason Rudolph, appear to be the likeliest landing spot for the pᴀsser, while the Giants moved on and signed Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson.
And after Rodgers was non-committal about his future on the Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, Tannenbaum decided that Rodgers was ‘giving us the answers to the test.’
‘Do you want your battlefield commander to be wallowing, looking at the Pacific Ocean, saying ‘I’m not sure if I want to play”?’ he said on First Take.
‘Coach [Bill] Parcells used to say, ‘When a player is talking about being retired, they are. And if you want to be a winning frontline quarterback withstanding the rigors of a 17-game regular season, you want someone that’s in Pittsburgh right now in the offseason program, getting to know DK Metcalf, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth.
‘Aaron Rodgers is an all-time great,’ he continued. ‘It’s over, guys… Ironically, what [Steelers coach] Mike Tomlin would say [is], ‘We want volunteers not hostages.’ This is a guy that’s disinterested in being an NFL quarterback, which is fine. He’s earned that right. He’s made hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s over. We are drafting our next quarterback.’
Former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum believes Aaron Rodgers is already retired from football
Rodgers has yet to latch on with a new team since he was released by the Jets last month
.@RealTannenbaum says it’s “over” for Aaron Rodgers and that the Steelers should draft a QB 👀 “When a player is talking about being retired, they are.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/sUymSPwMXx
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 18, 2025
In speaking with McAfee earlier this week, Rodgers said he didn’t feel like he ‘owed anybody a decision at any point.’
‘I’ve said listen, if you need to move on and do something, love and respect. But there’s been no ᴅᴇᴀᴅline. I’ve talked to Mike T [Tomlin] many times.’
He added that he is ‘going through a lot’ in his personal life and that it takes precedent over football at present, while he hasn’t ruled out retiring.
Following his heartbreaking start to his time with the Jets, in which he tore his Achilles in his debut, he also mooted retirement following the 2023 season (which he missed essentially all of).
However, he ultimately decided to return for 2024 and managed to stay healthy enough to play in all 17 games, throwing for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Rodgers took aim at the New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn for how he handled his exit
The Jets stumbled to a 5-12 record, though, and the team decided to move on from him this winter.
Read More NFL QB claims Aaron Rodgers lied in Pat McAfee interview 
Speaking to McAfee this week, Rodgers described how newly-installed Jets coach Aaron Glenn and new GM Darren Mougey fired him ’20 seconds’ into a meeting after he had flown across the country.
‘Listen, that was an interesting two years to say the least. I figured that when I flew across country to my dime there would be a conversation [over his future].
‘The confusing thing to me is I went out there, I meet with the coach, we start talking… he runs out of the room. I’m like ‘that’s strange’.
‘Then he comes back with the GM and I’m like all right. So we sit down and I think we’re going to have this long conversation and 20 seconds in and he (Glenn) goes: ‘You sure you wanna play football?’ And I said ‘yes’ and he said ‘we’re going in another direction at quarterback’.
The Jets later signed Justin Fields on a two-year, $40million, and the former Bears and Colts man looks set to open the season as the Jets’ starter.
