All 49ers

James Jones Says the 49ers Should Want Aaron Rodgers

Should they?
Grant Cohn|
Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) rolls out during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) rolls out during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In this story:

San Francisco 49ers

Soon, for the first time since the 49ers passed on Aaron Rodgers in the 2005 NFL Draft, they'll be able to sign him if they want him.

Should they want him?

Former Packers wide receiver and current Fox Sports analyst James Jones says absolutely the 49ers should want to sign Rodgers once the Jets release him and he becomes a free agent.

"The Vikings, the Steelers, the Niners -- I think those are the teams at the top of the list that should want him," said Jones. "Aaron had almost 4,000 yards passing and 28 touchdowns, and that's coming off of an Achilles injury. I know that the wins didn't add up there at the Jets, but it wasn't like Aaron Rodgers stunk the place up. Aaron Rodgers can still play football at a high level. If I'm the Vikings, the Niners or the Steelers, I'm definitely picking up the phone."

Even though Rodgers will turn 42 in December, he could conceivably play better next season than he did this past season because he will be another year removed from his Achilles tear. And even last season when he couldn't really move, he still threw 8 more touchdown passes than Brock Purdy who finished the season with just 20. Rodgers never has thrown fewer than 25 touchdown passes in a season in which he started at least 10 games.

In addition, any team that signs Rodgers most likely will get Davante Adams as well -- they seem to be a package deal. And the 49ers certainly could use Adams to fill the void left by Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.

If Brock Purdy won't settle for a penny less than $60 million per season, they should sign Rodgers and let Purdy be his backup.

Download and follow The Cohn Zohn Podcast.

Published | Modified
Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

Share on XFollow grantcohn
Home/News