Another sign that the New York Jets are moving on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers became clear on Tuesday.
The Jets released his longtime favorite target, wide receiver Davante Adams, to clear $29.9 million of salary cap space. Adams played with Rodgers for eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2021 before the two reconnected in New York.
Rodgers joined the Jets in 2023 via a trade with the Packers, but his time in New York didn’t turn out as hoped, starting with an Achilles injury in Week 1. After an unremarkable 5–12 second season, the Jets tried to give the star quarterback a boost in October 2024 by trading with the Las Vegas Raiders for Adams.
In 11 games, Adams caught 67 passes for 854 yards and seven touchdowns from Rodgers, but New York couldn’t turn things around as the team went 3–8.
A major upheaval came with the firing of head coach Robert Selah and general manager Joe Douglas. In the off-season, the Jets hired a new head coach, Aaron Glenn, with Darren Mougey as general manager, and they opted to move on from Rodgers.
Adams might not be the only player out as the end of the Rodgers era takes form. Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard came over from Green Bay when Rodgers went to New York. Lazard had 60 catches for 841 yards and seven touchdowns in 26 games for the Jets over two seasons, but he will cost the Jets $11 million in 2025 for year three of his four-year, $44 million deal.
New York has $36.46 million in salary cap space at the moment, but adding more cap space couldn’t hurt. The Jets’ best bet on Lazard is a trade or release after June 1, however, since the team will get $11 million in salary cap savings then versus $6.63 million in the immediate future.
New York owns the No. 7 pick in the NFL Draft and could make moves in free agency to strengthen the roster. That will include a quarterback and now wide receiver amid the team’s current transition.
Teams looking for a wideout could bring in Adams at less cost than his previous five-year, $140 million deal with the Raiders before the team sent him to New York. Spotrac projects him for $13.6 million annually or a two-year, $27.16 million deal.
Whether Adams will be paired with Rodgers again remains a big unknown, as the Jets have yet to release or trade Rodgers. Additionally, numerous teams are looking for a proven receiver but already have an established quarterback.
Potential suitors could include the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers. All four look set at quarterback with Bo Nix, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, and Brock Purdy, respectively, but each of those teams could use Adams, a six-time Pro Bowler, who still has plenty left.
Adams has five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, and he has scored at least eight touchdowns in each of those seasons. With a career average of 12.4 yards per catch, he has caught at least 117 passes every year since 2016. Adams is also one of the most durable wideouts in the league amid at least 17 games played annually since 2021, and he has never played fewer than 12 games in a season.
Instead of going across the country, it’s also possible that Adams could stay in the same market and join the New York Giants, a team that also needs a quarterback. The Giants own the No. 3 pick in the draft and could select a quarterback, but pursuing Rodgers as a veteran bridge quarterback could make sense, and Adams could pair up with him for another run.
