UPDATE: Aaron Rodgers has officially been traded to the New York Jets according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
For a while, it seemed like Aaron Rodgers was going to settle back into the Green Bay Packers’ lineup. He’s been there forever, and he’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but some Packers fans definitely wanted a change. Regardless, the discussions to get Rodgers to the New York Jets seemed to fade. But, now, those discussions are reportedly back.
The Jets and Packers are at it again, working on trade talks, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. As Rapoport reports, a deal isn’t necessarily imminent, but the camps hope to come to a deal this week. Of course, the NFL Draft is later this week, so that timing sounds apt.
“A deal is not imminent,” Rapoport tweeted on Sunday (April 23). “But the two sides are at least talking — with hopes a deal can (finally) be done this week.”
So, what’s the hang-up in this deal? Reports indicate that draft compensation has been the difficult negotiation point, as the Packers reportedly wanting a first-round pick, probably for 2024. Meanwhile, the Jets want to add some conditions to the pick, in the case that Rodgers retires after the 2023 season.
I have mixed feeling about Rodgers going to the Jets. On one hand, they are in desperate need of a good quarterback. They have a solid team and could go far, with the right quarterback in place. Rodgers still has fight left in him. His stats are still exceptional, and he could bring a lot to the team. But, it seems Rodgers hurt the morale of the Green Bay Packers this past season. He supposedly didn’t even practice with the band. He also spend much of last summer “finding himself” and away from his teammates. Football is a team sport. If Rodgers gets to the Jets, I really hope he changes some of his attitudes to be a more humble piece of the pie.