Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich does not shut the door on potentially benching Aaron Rodgers

Antwan Staley, New York Daily News on Dec 1, 2024

Published in Football

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NEW YORK — In the 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day,” Bill Murray is trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive Feb. 2 repeatedly.

The Jets are in a time loop of their own, but none of the Gang Green players are laughing amid a disappointing 3-9 season, which culminated in Sunday’s 26-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Following the game, Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich was asked if he had considered benching quarterback Aaron Rodgers following another lackluster performance against Seattle and gave a surprising answer.

“Not as of today,” Ulbrich said.

Ulbrich could have committed to keep playing Rodgers for the Jets final five games of the season, but he did not. His comments indeed open the door for a potential change at quarterback.

Rodgers was once again putrid, completing 21 of 39 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception against the Seahawks. That makes it 35 consecutive games in which Rodgers failed to register over 300 yards passing.

Rodgers had a chance to put the Jets up 28-7 in the second quarter, but he missed a wide-open Garrett Wilson in the end zone and threw a 92-yard pick-6 to Seahawks defensive tackle Leonard Williams that cut the Jets’ lead to 21-13 after Jason Myers‘ extra point was blocked.

Williams’ interception return for a touchdown completely changed the game’s momentum. The Jets failed to score another point following Kene Nwangwu‘s 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter. After Rodgers’ interception, the Seahawks scored 19 unanswered points.

Rodgers and the Jets had a chance to win the game in regulation on the final possession but failed to pull out the win. Gang Green is 0-5 in games this season in which Rodgers has had a chance to win the game on the final drive.

The Jets came into the week optimistic Rodgers would play well after he wasn’t on the injury report for the first time since before the team’s Week 4 loss to the Broncos. He had been dealing with ankle, knee and hamstring injuries for most of the season. But like the previous 11 games, Rodgers, who turns 41 on Monday, played exactly how a player his age would.

The Rodgers many grew to love with the Packers has been a shell of his former self with the Jets. After his season-ending Achilles injury, which sidelined him all but four plays in 2023, Rodgers’ accuracy has declined, and so has his mobility.

Rodgers is also posting the worst numbers of his career. In 12 games this season, Rodgers has thrown for 2,627 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

“There’s 11 guys on the field,” Rodgers said about his interception to Williams. “Sometimes, it’s my fault. Definitely multiple times today.

“Sometimes, the details aren’t there on some other spots.”

Not to mention, the Jets came into this season with Super Bowl aspirations. But this season continues to be a bad nightmare for Rodgers and the Jets since owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and made Ulbrich the interim coach.

“It’s disappointing, what else can you say?” Rodgers said. “We have had a lot of chances in these situations. A lot of these [games] come down to one play, whether you make it or miss it.

“Sometimes that play happens in the second quarter. If I make that play, 28-7, different ballgame.”

If the Jets were to bench Rodgers, veteran Tyrod Taylor would be next in line to potentially start the season’s final five games, beginning with next Sunday’s game at Miami. Following the Jets’ Week 4 loss to the Broncos, owner Woody Johnson suggested to Saleh that he bench Rodgers, according to sources. Eventually, Johnson was talked out of it, and Rodgers continued to start for the Jets.

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Rodgers said when asked what he thought about potentially being benched. “I will have a conversation with [Ulbrich] if that’s what he’s thinking.”

Even if he continues to be under center this season, the Jets clinched their ninth consecutive losing season following Sunday’s loss. Because of the Jets’ lost season, there are questions about Rodgers’ future with the team.

The 2024 Jets are one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory and are poised for another rebuild during the 2025 offseason. Not only was Saleh fired, but so was general manager Joe Douglas on Nov. 19.

If Rodgers is either released or retires, the Jets will have a $49 million salary cap hit. If he is designated for a post-June 1 release, they can spread that money over two seasons.

With the playoffs out of the question, the Jets could decide to entirely turn the page from a disappointing 2024 and choose to see Taylor for the final five games.

“I always want to go back and really watch the tape, and I gotta watch the tape with Todd [Downing],” Ulbrich said about Rodgers’ performance against the Seahawks. "A lot of times, he will give me the nuisances within the game plan and the footwork and timing and all of that.

“That will be a better question for tomorrow.”

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