Pro Football Rumors
Darren Mougey may soon be tied to the two largest single-player dead money hits in NFL history. Mougey worked with Sean Payton and George Paton as the Broncos signed off on an astonishing $83MM-plus in Russell Wilson dead cap, and he is now in charge of a Jets team prepared to move on from Aaron Rodgers. The expected release would come with a $49MM dead money charge, which figures to also be spread out into two offseasons via a post-June 1 designation.
If the Jets are to take that route, they must wait until March 12 to release Rodgers. The Jets communicated with their high-profile quarterback late last week, with SI.com’s Albert Breer reporting the team flew Rodgers in for that meeting. This was not the only time Rodgers and new Jets HC Aaron Glenn spoke this offseason, as ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini indicates the two had multiple conversations since the hire.
[RELATED: Jets Aiming To Pair Rookie, Veteran QBs]
The Broncos had faced a deadline on Wilson’s 2025 salary becoming guaranteed had he not been released before the 2024 vesting date, whereas Rodgers’ 2025 salary is nonguaranteed right now. The Jets could also be prepared to cut the at once, with OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald pointing to the more likely scenario being Rodgers is released soon and thus not set to carry a post-June 1 designation. Rather than the Jets taking on $14MM in dead cap this year and $35MM in 2026, a standard release would tag them with the entire bill in 2025.
New regimes generally care less about dead money charges associated with previous staffs, but given the high turnover rate (especially in the coaching ranks) in the modern NFL, it would stand to reason Glenn would not want $49MM clogging the Jets’ 2025 salary cap. Despite Glenn having a high opinion of Rodgers’ abilities during the latter’s final Packers season and the two being amenable to working together with the Jets, the AFC East team has been widely expected to move on from a failed experiment for several weeks. The Sunday report offered some finality, and the timing of the official move will clear up the financial component.
Rodgers, 41, was open to reworking his deal yet again, SNY’s Connor Hughes offers. Rodgers took a significant pay cut in reworking his deal upon arriving in New York, and the polarizing QB did not insist on a new deal during his Packers standoff in 2021. (The Packers did give him one in 2022, designing the contract to help facilitate a 2023 trade.) Rodgers has earned more than $380MM in his career; fit figures to be his primary concern if he plays a 21st season.
It is not yet known if that will happen, though ESPN’s Adam Schefter said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance that he does expect a 21st season to commence (video link). We asked readers in December where Rodgers would end up. Retirement won out, and the Raiders checked in as the top non-Jets option. While...
