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NFL fines Aaron Rodgers for late hit after throwing interception vs. Bills

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•01/04/25•

ChandlerVessels

aaron rodgers
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The NFL has fined New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers an amount of $11,255 after he was called for unnecessary roughness on a late hit in Week 17 against the Bills. The flag occurred after Rodgers threw an interception and then chased cornerback Christian Benford out of bounds.

Rodgers gave Benford a shove in the back after the defender had already gone out of play, resulting in a penalty that added on to the interception return. You can view the play below.

The interception was one of two that Rodgers threw in an eventual 40-14 loss. He has thrown for 3,623 yards and 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions this year in what is his 20th NFL season.

The loss dropped the Jets to a 4-12 record as they have long been eliminated from playoff contention. They’ll wrap up the season against the Miami Dolphins at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Aaron Rodgers addresses future with New York Jets: ‘I need a break mentally’

Aaron Rodgers was once again asked about his future with the New York Jets and while the quarterback didn’t change his thought process, he added a wrinkle.

Rodgers is 41 years old, which is old for an NFL player and very few played at a high level at that stage. The future Hall of Famer has had his moments this year, but not nearly enough to break the Jets’ playoff drought.

It simply sounds like Rodgers needs a mental break after the Achilles rehab in 2023 and a challenging 2024.

“I need a break mentally,” Rodgers said, via Zack Rosenblatt. “I don’t want to make a decision until I’ve been able to rest mentally and physically … I just need a break to refresh, put my feet in the sand and see where I’m at after that.

“March is free agency, I don’t think we’re going to get that far because there’s going to be a regime change here with the GM and then I’ll either get a call or have a conversation and go from there.”

As Rodgers alluded to, a new head coach and GM will be in the building. How they decide to operate the franchise moving forward will determine Rodgers’ future.

“I haven’t decided whether or not I want to play moving forward,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show. “They haven’t decided, or maybe they haven’t told me what their plans are moving forward. I’m guessing they’re going to, you know, want to get a GM in here in the next few weeks, and then obviously, let the GM be a part of making that coaching selection with who they want to go with if they haven’t made a decision.

“I mean, I think there’s a world where they just say, hey, you know, thank you. We’re going to go in every direction on January 6th, on AJs birthday and his favorite holiday. And then that’s a possibility. I think there’s also a possibility we’re going to wait and see who the new staff is.”