Former Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma thinks it’s time for Aaron Rodgers to hang up his cleats.
Vilma, now an analyst on Fox’s NFL broadcasts alongside Kenny Albert, expressed an understanding of why Rodgers would want to go out there and give it another go during the 2025 season, but felt that sticking around the game could impact the way he’s remembered.
Rodgers, 41, has not been the same player he once was during his tenure with the Jets as the teams sits at 4-11 after not being able to close out numerous tight games in the fourth quarter.
Part of that has been because he suffered a season-ending injury on the first drive as a Jet last season.
“The fan in me says yes, he should retire because I want to remember Aaron Rodgers when I went against him as one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game,” Vilma said in an interview with SportsLens. “I just remember staying up late at night, shaking my head because you can’t stop him. You can slow him down. You can hope he would have an off day. But you couldn’t stop him. And it was the most frustrating thing because playing against guys like him, Tom Brady in his prime, Drew Brees when I practiced against him, it’s so frustrating because you are literally trying your best and it’s still not good enough and you have to hope that his best is not there that day in order to win.
“So that’s how I want to remember him. I don’t want to remember him as this guy who doesn’t look like himself. Everyone’s saying he doesn’t look like himself. I don’t know what the issues are, but as a fan, I always want to remember the greatness of that guy, of that player. As an athlete being in his shoes, I’ve had friends, myself where there’s part of me that said – I had my daughter at the time, she was young, it’s time to move on and get off the train, think about family life, hanging out with my daughter, enjoying it, had a great career.”
Rodgers has been coy about his plans for the future and whether he’ll be a Jet next season — if Gang Green’s new GM and head coach even want him back.
The future Hall-of-Famer said during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he could see a world where “they just say, ‘Hey, thank you, we’re going to go in another direction’ on January 6th.”
The Rodgers-led Jets are destined for another year without a postseason appearance and finish out the season with games against the Bills and Dolphins.
