‘You Don’t Know Me!’ Aaron Rodgers Sounds Off About His Contentious Exit from the NY Jets — Including Heated Confrontation With the Coach

NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers revealed how tense things got when the New York Jets informed him of their decision to release him.

In February, the news broke that the Jets — under a new general manager and new head coach — would be moving in a different direction for the 2025-26 season. That decision put a firm end to the Aaron Rodgers era of the Jets, which saw the QB play just one full season and miss the playoffs.

On Thursday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers called in to talk about his ongoing search for a new team. He also expressed his frustration with the way the Jets handled his release, and specifically singled out coach Aaron Glenn.

Rodgers said:

We start talking [and] he runs out of the room. I’m like, that’s kind of strange… Then he comes back with the GM and I’m like, alright. So we sit down in the office, and I think we’re going to have this long conversation. I’ve flown across the country. And 20 seconds in, he goes — I mean, literally, I’m talking to the GM about something — and he leans to the edge of his sheet and goes, “So do you want to play football?” I was like, “Yeah, I’m interested.” And he said, “We’re going a different direction at quarterback.”

And I was kind of shocked. Now, not shocked because I didn’t think that was a possibility — listen, of course, they want to move on, that’s totally fine — but shocked because I just flew across the country. You could have told me this on the phone if we weren’t even gonna have a conversation.

And this is, verbatim, exactly how it happened. So I said, “Huh?” And he goes, “We just want to know how you want it released, the messaging.” And I said, verbatim, “I don’t give a shit about the message.” And I said, “Why?” And then he said, “I don’t want to be up in front of the room saying something and have guys looking back at you.” And I said, “What does that even mean? Are you assuming that I would be in the back of the room during the team meeting, undermining what you’re saying?” I said, “You don’t know me!” And he said, “You don’t know me.” And then I said, “Exactly, which is why I flew across the country to have a face-to-face meeting with you to talk about my experience with the Jets, and to hear your vision for the team.”

Twenty seconds in. What I thought was gonna be a couple-hour meeting turned into like a 15-minute meeting, and I walked out of there. But yeah, that was a strange meeting, for sure.

Watch above via ESPN