The Jets debut of quarterback Aaron Rodgers is one of the most-anticipated aspects of the Week 1 slate. As we wait for the future Hall-of-Famer to take the field for the first Monday Night Football game of the season, here are a few Gang Green-related items:
- Speaking of Rodgers, his voluntary $35MM pay cut has allowed the Jets to enter the 2023 season with over $20MM in cap space, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. GM Joe Douglas confirmed to reporters, including Cimini, that Rodgers agreed to the reduction in pay with the tacit understanding that the funds will be used to supplement the roster. “It’s almost like an unspoken thing,” Douglas said. “You know if you’re doing this, there’s a reason why he’s doing this. So it’s going to give us great flexibility moving forward.”
- Before it became clear that Rodgers would continue his playing career, the Jets inquired on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Los Angeles, however, insisted that it was not trading Stafford, so the conversations did not gain much traction. We recently heard that the Rams made a concerted effort to deal Stafford before they were required to pick up his 2023 option bonus and 2024 salary this offseason, but team brass subsquently said that while other clubs asked about the veteran passer, the Rams were not actively shopping him.
- Both of the Jets’ top RBs, Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook, will play against the Bills on Monday night, though the team will be “prudent with their usage” (Twitter link via Cimini). Hall, of course, saw his promising rookie campaign cut short by an ACL tear last October, and Cook was just acquired less than a month ago. As the season goes on, the club will rely heavily on both players to support its Rodgers-led passing attack.
- Some of the money freed up by Rodgers’ aforementioned largesse could go towards more receiving talent for the QB; Bucs’ WR Mike Evans has been floated as a possible trade target, and the Jets recently worked out free agent receiver Kenny Golladay.
Cook not acquired via trade Vikings released him and he signed with the Jets
It’s one of the most-anticipated too
I mean the retirement of Corey Davis also put a good chunk of change in their pockets too…
WR & OT help at trade dealine
How come no one is investigating the Rodgers 35 million pay cut? The guy fought hard to get this huge contract in GB now he just magically gives it up? He either is getting the money on the side or he is going to get something from the Jets after he retires. Very corrupt.
The would be the basis of the investigation? Your general suspicion with him preferring funds be spent on other players? Brady did that for years.
There should be NO renegotiating of contracts.
It is blatant manipulation of the salary cap.
Want another star player on your team but have no cap room? Just re-work the contract of the most expensive player on your team and voila: 35 million in free money to spend on your team. Why have a cap…other than to keep the rich teams from signing all of the star players.
Oh, New York teams are rich teams, aren’t they?
What a joke!!
Rodgers agreed to the restructure, both parties did freely; so why did you suddenly decide become a communist? lol. It’s completely within the actual rules; not the ones you would like to dictate, comrade.
You are entitled to your opinion…but I am not a communist just because you disagee with it, sir.
What universe are you from?
mrseahawk doesn’t get out on US political or economic forums much (can’t blame him). Anyone who disagrees with an American is a Communist.
In principle, it makes sense that Aaron Rodgers would renegotiate his contract to finish his career on a winning team, structured the way he wants (he was allowed to select his own WR corps). Rodgers has a net worth of about half a billion dollars already. If Rodgers wins a Super Bowl in New York, he’ll make back the missing money in endorsements in a year or two. He’d have a good shot of becoming Governor of the State.
It would make more makes sense to limit the maximum salary so teams start to field more balanced rosters again. Even in KC it looks like paying Mahomes and Kelce has completely sunk the WR corps (insufficient funds). Mahomes will have to play with a band of serial droppers and rookies for the rest of his career. I’m not a KC fan so their fate does not particularly concern me, but the fate of the league does.
what? you still mad about the Adams trade?
Adams should be mad about the Adams (we are talking about Davante, I assume). There were two non-monetary reasons that he went to Las Vegas-to play somewhat closer to his home and to play with Derek Carr. The Raiders conveniently benched Carr at the end of the year, and then gave him the boot.
After Adams turned down a bigger contract during negotiations with Green Bay (I suppose one could argue for the possibility of a third reason-dissatisfaction with how sluggish the Packers were at trying to contend in their window), he saw one big reason for going to Vegas jettisoned less than a full season after arriving. He seems committed still, but you have to think that he didn’t see that one coming.