National Reporter Expects $8M+ Loss for Jets Because of Aaron Rodgers’ Best Friend as Sam Darnold Reunion Ruled Out

It’s an open secret now that Aaron Rodgers won’t be with the New York Jets next season. After his supposed meeting with the new regime last week, the Jets have decided to move on from their failed Rodgers experiment. But the thing is, he might not be the only one heading out of New Jersey by the time next season arrives. He would most likely be joined by his best friend, Davante Adams, whose future with Gang Green also looks grim.

See, the Jets acquired Davante Adams in a mid-season trade from the Raiders. And after their huge success in Green Bay, something similar was expected from their reunion this season. However, like it always has been, things didn’t go exactly as planned for the Jets. Adams only played 11 games, racking up just 67 receptions for 854 passing yards and only 7 TDs. Well, those weren’t the numbers the Jets were expecting of a 6-time Pro Bowler for whom they had traded a third-round pick in this year’s draft.

So, combining Rodgers’ imminent exit from the Jets, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes its only a matter of time before Adams is also released. Sharing his take on The Rich Eisen Show, Florio stated, “Adams will be cut.” The reason? “There’s no way the Jets are going to keep him, it’s over $30 million that have to pay him, so he’ll get to go wherever he wants to go. He’ll be a free agent for the first time in his career,” Florio added.

But money isn’t the only thing the Jets could save by cutting Adams from their roster. Keeping him would mean the Jets will have to deal with his $38M cap hit. And considering their already dire cap situation, where they rank 20th in the NFL with $20.95M in cap space, moving on from Adams gives them some relief. Sending Adams packing with Rodgers out of New York will limit that $38M cap hit to just $8M next season. It might not be great news, but it’s something that can help the Jets to rebuild.

Even Rodgers was expected to make a non-guaranteed $37.5M in 2025. His departure allows the Jets to spread his $49M dead cap hit over the next two years. It’s just that the situation in New York is so bad that the Jets are somehow trying to find positives within the heaps of negatives. But the question who will lead this rebuild next season? Will it be their former No.3 overall pick who just had a massive breakout season? Well, probably not. That’s what Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport believes.

Sam Darnold’s reunion with the Jets called off

Let’s go back to 2018—the Jets had just picked Sam Darnold as the face of their franchise. But that move quickly blew up in the face of the Jets. As Darnold’s numbers as a starter were horrifying, to say the least. He went 13-25 as a starter, throwing 8,097 passing yards, only 45 TDs and a mind-boggling 39 INTs. His time in green and white was so bad the Jets shipped him off to the Panthers after just 3 seasons as their franchise signal-caller. With stings in Carolina and the 49ers all ending as failures, Darnold’s move to Minnesota turned out to be a huge resurgence. Signed as a Plan B for injured rookie J.J. McCarthy, Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record. Throwing over 4,000 passing yards and 35 TDs, he earned his first Pro Bowl since entering the league in 2018.

However, with his Vikings contract coming to an end, Darnold’s future is still up in the air. And with the Jets looking for a new QB, there were talks of a possible reunion with Gang Green. But those rumors have since been squashed by Gary Davenport. He gave two reasons why Darnold won’t be in New York next season or ever, “The first is that he probably isn’t leaving the Twin Cities unless the Vikings trade him. The franchise tag for QBs is expected to be $41.3M. That’s not an unreasonable amount for a contender to spend on insurance against McCarthy’s knee.” See, McCarthy might be the future of the Vikings, but right now, he is still yet to be 100% from his ACL tear.

So, the Vikings sticking by Darnold after what he gave them in his absence won’t really be a bad decision after all. But there’s another reason Davenport gave why Darnold’s move to the Jets won’t be happening. “Whoever signs, Darnold is going to be looking at a contract in the neighborhood of $40M a season. That’s going to be problematic for a Jets team with $21M in cap space.” Well, Darnold may have proved himself as a starter in the league. However, he may never get the chance to prove his worth playing in green and white. It will also remain a dark chapter, not just for the Jets, who are still struggling to find a QB. Even for Darnold, who remains on a hot streak to prove his doubters wrong.