NFL NEWS: With Justin Fields set to Stay in Pittsburgh, New York Jets Have Now Look Set to trade for Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow after the Star QB Requested a trade away from Cincinnati, New York Jets general manager Announced 10-minutes ago that Joe Burrow will Likely end up in New York after 4-yrs $210 million Max Contract is Been Finalized, But….

Will the Jets move on from Davante Adams Allen Lazard next?

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

1. Cleanup time: Saying goodbye was the easy part. Now the Jets must deal with the Aaron Rodgers fallout after officially announcing a parting of the ways Thursday. The impact on the roster and salary cap will be felt for years.

The trade for Rodgers in 2023 wasn’t simply a one-player acquisition; it was an entire movement. Over the course of two seasons, the Jets surrounded him with three of his favorite wide receivers — Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams.

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Cobb retired last summer and now Adams and Lazard are likely headed for the exit. They probably will be released in the coming weeks.

Green Bay Packers East will be history. It was costly.

In terms of cash, owner Woody Johnson shelled out more than $111 million for the four players — Rodgers ($75 million), Lazard ($22 million), Adams ($11.6 million) and Cobb ($2.8 million). They combined for only 66 games played.

From a salary cap standpoint, the Jets will get stuck with $64 million in dead charges — Rodgers at $49 million, Adams at $8.4 million and Lazard at $6.6 million. The Jets likely will designate Rodgers a post-June 1 cut, allowing them to spread the money over two years. That’s a $35 million charge in 2026, hardly ideal for roster building.

They also invested a significant amount of draft capital in the trades for Rodgers (Packers) and Adams (Las Vegas Raiders). The final tally: a 2023 second-round pick, a 2024 second-round pick, a 2025 third-round pick (for Adams) and a 2023 sixth-round pick. They also swapped 2023 first-round picks with the Packers, dropping two spots.

In return, the Jets got Rodgers, Adams and a 2023 fifth-rounder, which was traded and parlayed into cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse and tight end Zack Kuntz — who had minimal contributions.

Bottom line, the Jets went 12-22 in the Rodgers era. The trade made sense at the time, but the outcome was disastrous. Obviously, they couldn’t foresee his season-ending Achilles injury Game 1 in 2023. Would it have turned out differently if the injury hadn’t occurred? It’ll be one of the greatest what-ifs in Jets history.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams celebrate in their final game as teammates with the New York Jets. Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images
2. Impact on Wilson: Rodgers’ departure greatly increases the chances of Garrett Wilson’s return. There appeared to be tension in their relationship last season, starting with heated conversations on the field in training camp. It bubbled up late in the season, fueling speculation that Wilson might ask for a trade.

It became obvious to some players last season that Rodgers was favoring Adams over Wilson in the passing game. In 11 games together, Adams was targeted 112 times (third-most in the NFL), Wilson 87. The disparity was even greater in the red zone — Adams 21, Wilson 11.

Wilson, 24, coming off three straight 1,000-yard seasons, is the kind of player most teams would want to be a part of their foundation.

3. If he goes … : Adams indicated at the end of the season that his future with the team was tied to Rodgers. He’s under contract for two more years, but he won’t have to request his release. It will happen because his 2025 cap charge is prohibitive — $38.3 million, none of it guaranteed. The only way to stay is to renegotiate the deal, and he probably prefers to be released, allowing him to test free agency for the first time.

“I came here with the hopes that I wouldn’t have to find a new home, so it’s kind of bittersweet, I guess,” he said. “It’s cool to be able to control where you go, but I’ve done that [while] still under contract.”

The Jets would clear $29.9 million by cutting him.

Lazard has 60 catches over two years, not enough to justify his $13.2 million cap charge.

Aaron Rodgers last season with Jets

Aaron Rodgers finished 25th in QBR last season (48.2), the second-worst mark of his career, behind only the last time he started multiple games in 2022. He also averaged career lows in yards per attempt and yards per dropback.

Rank

QBR 48.2 25th
Yards per attempt 6.7* 28th
Yards per dropback 5.8* 27th
* Career lows
— ESPN Research
4. Receiver issues: Without Adams and Lazard, the Jets would be hurting at receiver. It would leave Wilson, Xavier Gipson and Malachi Corley as the top receivers on the depth chart. The position would be a high priority in free agency and the draft.

One free agent to watch is Tim Patrick of the Detroit Lions — an obvious connection to coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand.

5. Shades of ’17: The Jets haven’t had this much mid-February uncertainty at quarterback since 2017. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith were going to free agency, and the only quarterback on the depth chart was Bryce Petty. The team wound up signing journeyman Josh McCown, who delivered a solid season.

6. Dart board: The Rodgers news will intensify the quarterback conversation in the offseason, starting in free agency and going through the draft.

A name to watch in the draft: Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss.