Dec 15, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

On April 23, 2020, the Green Bay Packers made a decision that altered the course of the history of their franchise. Despite having a then two-time NFL MVP quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, who was still playing at a high level, they traded up in the first round to select Jordan Love in the NFL Draft. Rodgers, who had said for years that he wanted to spend his entire year with the Packers, now knew that his tenure had an expiration date.

And he going to do everything he could to prove Green Bay wrong.

The future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback went on to win the next two NFL MVP’s while having not-so-private disagreements with the front office. To his credit, he was a great teammate and mentor to Love, but he had no intention on being forced out of his job.

But following a disappointing 2022 season, and with Rodgers heavily contemplating retirement, the Packers decided it was time to give the offense over to Love. Not one to allow anyone else determine when his playing days were going to win, the now four-time NFL MVP decided not to retire, and play elsewhere in 2023.

The Green Bay Packers Traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets

His decision to continue playing in the NFL led Green Bay to trade Rodgers to the New York Jets. While the transaction allowed the Packers to enter a new era, it was also a fresh start for both Rodgers and New York. The Jets hoped that adding one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history would be the missing piece that they believed they needed to snap their postseason drought.

But after an offseason filled with promise and hope, the aged quarterback tore his Achilles four snaps into the 2023 regular season. Without him, New York finished the season 7-10 for the second consecutive year, but held out hope that his healthy return in 2024 would still bring about the results they had envisioned when they traded for him.

It did not.

Rodgers and the Jets finished the 2024 season 5-12, with the one-time Super Bowl winner completing 63.0% of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 90.5 passer rating. Along the way, New York fired their head coach and general manager, two of the biggest reasons Rodgers was acquired by the Jets in the first place.

The New York Giants Have Reportedly Shown Interest in Aaron Rodgers

As was the case when his time with the Packers came to an end, Rodgers does not want the decision of an organization to be the reason his playing career is over. While he would have preferred to play the 2025 season with the Jets, the fact of the matter is that the new regime does not want him, and they have made that clear to him.

However, there are not many teams that want a 41 year-old quarterback coming off of the worst statistical season of his career. At least, not a team that is just a quarterback shy of winning a Super Bowl. As his options have rumored to evaporate over the course of the offseason, there is just one more team that is known to be interested, and it is a team that he is rumored to have reached out to as well: the New York Giants.

Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Giants have shifted their focus to Rodgers after missing out on Matthew Stafford, who restructured his contract with the Los Angeles Rams:

The New York Giants are now shifting their interest to Aaron Rodgers. They’ve been discussing it all week in Indy per sources.

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) February 28, 2025

The Giants have the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and are believed to be looking for their quarterback of the future. However, signing Rodgers would give them the opportunity to allow whichever quarterback they may draft the chance to sit for at least a year and learn from one of the best of the business.

It also would, in theory, allow Rodgers to end his NFL career on his terms, though spending it with a team that finished 3-14 in 2024 and has no postseason aspirations in 2025 may not have been his ideal scenario.