Mosley: Rodgers 'gave us his all' during Jets' tenure
Jets captain C.J. Mosley is choosing to have a positive outlook regarding quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who went 5-12 during his two-year stint in New York.
The Jets are expected to part ways with Rodgers this offseason after the club orchestrated a blockbuster trade to acquire the future Hall of Fame quarterback from the Green Bay Packers in 2023. Rodgers leaves the Jets following two down seasons, missing all but three snaps in the 2023 campaign after tearing his Achilles tendon in his regular-season debut with the team.
"We tried to do something special. Injuries took part in that, took away a lot of time," Mosley said in an interview Monday with Fox 5's Tina Cervasio and Rosanna Scotto. "He did do some great things this year, getting his 500th (career passing) touchdown. He was a leader no matter what when he came into the locker room when he was with us this year. Nothing but respect for him to come back from the Achilles, 40-plus years old."
Mosley added: "I know the wins and losses can get in the way of a lot of things that you can accomplish, but there's no reason for him to leave New York with his head down because I know he gave us his all."
The Jets appear poised for further changes after naming Aaron Glenn as their head coach and Darren Mougey as general manager. Glenn remained elusive about Rodgers' future during his introductory press conferences in January, describing the team as being in "evaluation mode," per ESPN's Rich Cimini.
Rodgers has expressed interest in playing in 2025 but said it would be up to the Jets and him to decide whether he continues playing in New York.
The 41-year-old is under contract with the Jets through 2025 but has no guaranteed salary remaining on his pact. The club will be saddled with $14 million in dead money but would save $9.5 million against the salary cap by designating Rodgers as a post-June 1 cut, per Over the Cap.
Despite things not working out in New York, Mosley said he's confident Rodgers is a viable option as a starting quarterback and still has at least another year left in his career.
"We've seen him sling the ball around. He can definitely still play ball," Mosley said.