Jets' Aaron Rodgers Could Oust Colts' Recent No. 4 Overall Pick As Starting QB

Could New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers be headed to another AFC franchise in 2025?

The Jets are reportedly moving on from Rodgers, multiple outlets revealed on Sunday. It’s a controversial decision by New York’s front office, especially considering the lack of excellent QB options on the free agent and trade markets.

Who exactly do the Jets have in mind at quarterback if Rodgers isn’t their guy? That remains a mystery for now, as does Rodgers’ immediate future.

While there’s plenty of speculation that the four-time NFL MVP Rodgers will retire, others feel that he has multiple years of good football left. Teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, and New Orleans Saints might be landing spots for Rodgers.

There’s another AFC team that might be in play for Rodgers, however, despite this idea probably surprising some people.

On Sunday, The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer suggested that the Indianapolis Colts could be calling Rodgers in the coming weeks.

“The Colts are a bit of a wild card but make sense with offensive-minded Shane Steichen as their head coach,” Iyer said.

“They are on the fence about Anthony Richardson as a franchise QB and might want to take a swing at Rodgers without a high-enough draft pick.”

Indianapolis went 8-9 in 2024, missing the playoffs.

Richardson played 11 games under center after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery that limited him to just four starts in 2023, his rookie season.

Richardson performed at a mediocre level this past year, completing 125 of 364 passes (47.7 percent completion) for eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions. It was a good enough body of work for Richardson to finish No. 25 in NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting.

And while those numbers don’t wow anyone, Richardson is still just 22 years old and has considerable talent. There’s a reason the Colts selected Richardson at No. 4 overall out of Florida in the 2023 NFL draft.

But if Iyer’s suggestion is accurate that Indianapolis isn’t fully sold on Richardson as their franchise QB1, Rodgers would present a tempting acquisition.

Even if the Colts were still invested in Richardson long term, bringing in a veteran, Hall of Fame quarterback like Rodgers for a year or two might be healthy for Richardson’s development.

Richardson could ostensibly take a back seat to Rodgers and pick his brain for 24-48 months before re-entering the fold as Indy’s starter at age 25 or so. It’s not a bad change of plans for his career, from the Colts’ perspective.

Ultimately, if Indianapolis is looking to win now, bringing Rodgers in would likely give them a better chance to do so for 2025 and 2026.

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