Aaron Rodgers

Packers GM Shoots Down David Bakhtiari Trade Rumors

August 18th, 2023 at 9:25pm CST by Ely Allen

The rumors haven’t been rampant, but the source of the rumor is enough to catch the media’s eye. Regardless, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to definitively clarify that the team has no intentions of trading away veteran offensive tackle David Bakhtiari, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.

As far as we can trace, any hint of this rumor originates from Bakhtiari’s former teammate Aaron Rodgers. The polarizing quarterback is with the Jets now and has brought along several of his former Green Bay teammates. As Armando Salguero of OutKick explored some potential solutions to the Jets’ deteriorating depth at tackle, he looked to the New York passer’s suggestion.

When Rodgers finally found himself in a Jets uniform, he reportedly gave up $35MM in salary to accommodate additions to the roster around him. This leeway reportedly helped the Jets to bring in a player like running back Dalvin Cook after already having acquired the likes of Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and Randall Cobb. Salguero reports that Rodgers has “privately mentioned Bakhtiari” as the team’s potential solution at tackle. The report claims that Rodgers has floated the idea to Bakhtiari himself, even.

Despite the rumor being fairly baseless, Gutekunst still apparently felt the need to address it, shutting down the notion in the process. True, the team would save $2.25MM in cap space for this year, but the Packers would also eat $19.08MM in dead money and be required to find a replacement at left tackle for only the second time in the past ten years.

Unless New York comes ready to part with one of their top draft picks in the next year or so, it seems highly unlikely that there will be any traction on this rumor. Gutekunst’s stance is currently that Bakhtiari is not for sale. Rodgers has received quite a bit from his wish-list this offseason, but this is seeming like a step too far.

Jets Rumors: Rodgers, Adams, Becton

August 5th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Ely Allen

No matter who’s calling the offense, a team with Aaron Rodgers behind center is going to be influenced by his presence. The Jets appear to be no different as new wide receiver Allen Lazard called the Jets’ system “the Aaron Rodgers offense.” Rodgers backed off that claim a bit in a press conference a couple weeks ago, but he clearly has some influence.

“Well, listen, I’m not going to say it’s ‘my’ offense,” Rodgers told the media. “It’s one I’ve had success in, for sure, but back in 2020, it was a conglomeration of what Matt (LaFleur) wanted to run, what (Nathaniel Hackett) had run in the past, and what I had run in the past. So, we just fit together. And this is kind of an offshoot of that with maybe a little more West Coast flavor to it. But this is really Hackett’s offense that I’ve been able to collaborate with him on. And I love it, but there is a lot of teaching, for sure.”

LaFleur was calling plays as head coach during the period Rodgers was referring to, during which he won back-to-back MVP awards. Hackett was the offensive coordinator, though, at the time. Now reunited with Hackett, Rodgers and his old coordinator appear to be picking up where they left off, collaborating on an offense that has won awards in the past.

Here are a few other rumors surrounding Gang Green in training camp:

The Jets have a potential starter breaking out in training camp as Tony Adams makes a push to start at free safety. An undrafted rookie out of Illinois last year, Adams surprised when he made the roster in 2022. A year later, he’s on track to start, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Last year Lamarcus Joyner spent most of the season starting next to Jordan Whitehead but didn’t do much to impress at the position. After free agent addition Chuck Clark tore his ACL, a starting spot opened up in the defensive backfield. New York signed free agent Adrian Amos as an immediate remedy to the loss of Clark, but it appears that Adams is well on his way to beating him out for the starting job at free safety to start 2023.
In a report this week, Costello’s colleague at the Post, Ryan Dunleavy, speculated that offensive tackle Mekhi Becton is starting to veer further from “fighting for a starting job” and closer to “fighting for a roster spot.” He may have confirmed as much by changing his stance on sticking at left tackle and allowing some run at right tackle, where the Jets are looking for a starter. He would almost certainly be second string behind free agent addition Billy Turner on the left side of the line, but he has a chance to compete for the job on the right side. Dunleavy claimed that Becton was scheduled to get about 20-25 snaps in the Hall of Fame game this past week and that, if he struggled, New York might begin to wonder just how many tackles they can keep on the roster. Unfortunately, Becton left the game after only seven snaps, citing caution while playing on turf. If he can earn a starting spot through the rest of the preseason, Becton should have a chance to prove he’s finally healthy and ready to contribute. If not, he may find himself looking for a new team.

Aaron Rodgers Addresses Pay-Cut Decision, Jets Future

August 1st, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers has gone from being “90% retired” to regularly talking about playing multiple seasons with the Jets. The Packers and Jets briefly discussed a trade term of a 2025 Green Bay pick going to New York in the event Rodgers retired after the 2023 season, but no traction emerged in that direction. As of now, at least, it does not sound like that will end up being relevant.

The 19th-year quarterback said he is expecting this to be a “few-years partnership,” via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. The future Hall of Famer’s thinking has moved considerably from a retirement lean before the winter darkness retreat. After keeping the Packers in suspense about his plans in recent offseasons, Rodgers is hoping to extend his career into at least 2024.

In his first press conference with the Jets, Rodgers stopped short of saying he would play beyond this season. Now, he is back to a place where he would like to play well into his 40s. Rodgers, 39, had previously said this was a goal. But during his final few years with the Packers, that talk fizzled. In September 2022, Rodgers made a point of saying he will not follow Tom Brady‘s lead by playing until age 45. But that still leaves some wiggle room for the four-time MVP.

“I want play a few more years and it’ll be five after that,” Rodgers said, alluding to the Hall of Fame’s waiting period. “Who knows what’s going to happen in eight or nine years? That’s a long way off.” Rodgers also said, “I’m taking it one year at a time. Yeah, I’d love to play as long as I can, as long as it’s fun, as long as my body feels good, as long as they want me.”

The long-QB-starved Jets sent the Packers a 2023 second-round pick and swapped first-rounders this year. If Rodgers plays 65% of the Jets’ snaps this season, the Packers will receive Gang Green’s 2024 first. Previously citing the assets the Jets gave up in his reasoning for now eyeing multiple seasons in New York, Rodgers has since agreed to trim roughly $35MM in guarantees on the contract he agreed to in 2022.

Coming after Quinnen Williams‘ extension freed up cap space for the Jets, Rodgers’ surprising decision leaves the team with $15.9MM — 11th as of August 1. Rodgers’ pay cut has helped the Jets stay in the lead for Dalvin Cook, who visited the team Sunday.

“I thought it was important they knew how committed I was. And in my conversations with Joe [Douglas], he has made it very clear the vision for the football team,” Rodgers said, via NBC Sports’ Peter King. “You probably agree with this. This year, compared to like 2005, the amount of transactions that happen now with guys getting cut and the amount of trades — way more than before. Big names move at the trade deadline now. I wanted to make sure that if somebody valuable came available that we’d be able to get him. I’m very happy with the contract. I feel great about it.”

Rodgers’ April Packers restructure left a whopping and untenable $107MM cap hit on the Jets’ 2024 payroll. That number is now down to $17.16MM; Rodgers counts for just $8.89MM on New York’s 2023 cap sheet. The Jets used the increasingly popular void-years tactic in this restructure. Four void years are in the contract, with those coming after a $35MM roster bonus due in 2025. The guarantees cover Rodgers through 2024. A $63MM dead-money penalty sits on the Jets’ payroll in 2026; that number is $28MM north of the dead-cap hit the Buccaneers are currently navigating after Brady’s retirement.

While this might not be the final Jets-Rodgers transaction, the high-profile trade acquisition is squared away for now. The two-year, $75MM arrangement came about quickly, via ESPN’s Dianna Russini, though it remains interesting Rodgers was willing to move down to a $37.5MM-per-year number so soon after becoming the first NFLer to clear the $50MM-AAV bar. Rodgers has already earned more than $305MM as a pro.

“I feel great about what I’m making,” he said, via Cimini. “It wasn’t really a negotiation, like back and forth, me starting at 50 and them starting at 20 and meeting somewhere. It was an easy conversation, much of it between me and Joe, just talking about the state of the team and the opportunities that could be out there — that are out there now, that could be out there.”

Jets, Aaron Rodgers Agree To Revised Deal

July 26th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

A resolution to Aaron Rodgers‘ financial future has arrived. The Jets signed their new franchise quarterback to a two-year contract worth $75MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network).

Rodgers was already under contract through 2024, but his decision to push a fully-guaranteed roster bonus to next season as part of his blockbuster move to New York left the team with an enormous bill of $107.55MM for next year. The four-time MVP was due nearly $110MM guaranteed prior to today’s news, meaning he took a pay cut which will benefit the Jets.

Pelissero adds that the new contract is technically five years in length, with option years being added to help spread out the bonus payments included. Rodgers’ cap hit will sit just under $9MM this season, and he will receive a $35MM roster bonus next week, while drawing a base salary of over $38MM in 2024. The deal includes no-tag and no-trade clauses (Twitter links). ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the pact also includes a non-guaranteed $37.5MM in 2025, while adding that Rodgers’ 2024 cap hit will check in at $17.1MM.

Not long after the trade which ended his Packers career, it was confirmed a new Rodgers deal was being worked on by the Jets. Progress on that front came slowly, but it was learned recently that the revised pact had been worked out. Mike Florio of Pro Footbal Talk was the first to report that terms had been agreed to, and both sides can now move forward with more clarity regarding the immediate future.

Given the unique contract situation he was in upon arrival in New York, the 39-year-old Rodgers faced questions about how willing he would be to play more than one season as a Jet. He stated last month that, while the team’s success and his health status will be key determining factors in his decisions, he intends to play at least the next two campaigns in New York. That should give the win-now franchise multiple attempts to find success in a crowded division and conference at the twilight of the future Hall of Famer’s career.

Eight quarterback deals (including last night’s Justin Herbert mega-extension with the Chargers) include more than $75MM in total guarantees, but prior to this agreement, only Deshaun Watson‘s was guaranteed in full. Rodgers will thus add considerably to his career earnings while providing the Jets with cap flexibility to help manage a roster which faces substantial expectations for the next two seasons.

Allen Lazard, Aaron Rodgers Frequently Discussed Playing With Jets During 2023 Offseason

July 23rd, 2023 at 1:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jets’ offense has plenty of new faces in place for the coming season, but a high degree of familiarity exists between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a number of the skill-position players around him. One of those is wideout Allen Lazard, whose arrival in the Big Apple was something the pair discussed leading up to their Green Bay-to-New York moves.

Rodgers and Lazard frequently communicated with each other about joining the Jets, the latter confirmed when speaking to the media during training camp. By the time free agency opened up in mid-March, Lazard quickly agreed to a four-year, $44MM contract which added further to the speculation Rodgers would soon end up in New York as well. Despite the delays on the trade front for Rodgers, Lazard remained confident they would be able to continue their working relationship in a new home.

“We obviously had a very deep conversation and talked about the possibilities of where he would go, where I would go,” the 27-year-old said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Not to say that him going here was the only reason why I came here, or me coming here was the only reason why he didn’t want to retire or stay in Green Bay, per se, but I knew he was doing everything he could do.”

The long-anticipated Rodgers trade was not finalized until April, but its completion came as no surprise after the efforts made by the Jets to acquire the four-time MVP. Much of their offseason was built upon adding familiar faces for him on offense, and Lazard will play a key role in the carryover of Packers alum into New York. He spent the first five years of his career with Rodgers and the Packers, operating as a starter for the past three years and recording a career-high 788 yards in 2022.

The hiring of Nathaniel Hackett – Green Bay’s offensive coordinator from 2019-21 – to serve in the same role for the Jets has led to the expectation of a quick familiarization period in the passing game despite the many changes made in New York. A strong season from Rodgers and Lazard would go a long way toward the team reaching its win-now goals, and represent a positive outcome from their shared plan dating back to the end of their respective Packers tenures.

Aaron Rodgers Plans To Remain With Jets Beyond 2023

July 21st, 2023 at 3:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

Aaron Rodgers has dominated offseason storylines concerning the Jets given his trade acquisition and the expectations surrounding himself and the team in 2023. How willing he is to play beyond this season has been an open question, however.

The 39-year-old spoke on the subject today, and indicated that he does not foresee a retirement coming at the end of this campaign. Circumstances could of course change between now and then, but as his first season outside of Green Bay approaches, the four-time MVP remains confident he will continue his career for multiple years.

“The Jets gave up a lot for me, so to play just one year. I think, would be a disservice,” Rodgers said during an appearance on ESPN’s DiPietro & Rothenberg Show. “Now, if that one year turns out to be a magical year, who knows? But it’s more than that: it’s how my body feels” (h/t Newsday’s Al Iannazzone).

Those remarks came not long after others from head coach Robert Saleh also pointed to Rodgers remaining in the fold for more than one season. Doing so would be beneficial for a New York team which is firmly in win-now mode, and which paid signficant draft capital to acquire the longtime Packer in April’s blockbuster trade. Looking too far down the road is not something Saleh is interested in with respect to his quarterback’s future, however.

“I don’t think he needs to,” Saleh said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post, when asked about Rodgers’ willingness to commit to 2024. “I don’t want to even back him into a corner and make him commit to something like that… Odds are if you enjoy playing football, you’re going to want to keep doing that.”

The Jets fielded one of the league’s best defenses in 2022, and their offense features an intriguing array of skill-position players. The team remained active on the QB market during the offseason, and trading for Rodgers quickly emerged as their preference. Age is a major concern in Rodgers’ case, but the fact New York has a number of young high-end contributors is influencing his intentions.

“When you have so many great players on rookie deals, it’s pretty exciting, knowing you can do something,” the future Hall of Famer said after the Jets’ Friday training camp practice. “You’ve got a good window. It’s not just a one-year thing where you can be competitive, which is fun.”

Of course, finances are also at the heart of Rodgers’ future. He has a cap hit of only $1.22MM this season, but a restructure to his Packers contract which delayed a roster bonus payment leaves him due a whopping $107.6MM next year. The Jets have engaged in talks about sorting out that massive dichotomy, but Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes that a resolution has still not been reached.

The Jets will be the subject of plenty of scrutiny based in large part on Rodgers’ play in his new home. Analysis of his and the team’s performance will, though, be made moving forward with an even stronger belief that he will not hang up his cleats following a one-and-done campaign.

Latest On Jets, Dalvin Cook; Aaron Rodgers, Quinnen Williams Talks Impacting Pursuit?

July 6th, 2023 at 3:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The waiting game between Dalvin Cook and his lot of suitors continues. Nearly a month has passed since the Vikings cut Cook, and a few known interested parties have emerged. Thus far, no team has blown the four-time Pro Bowler away with an offer.

A Miami native, Cook has said the Dolphins are a “perfect fit,” and the team has submitted a contract proposal to the six-year veteran. No early deal commencing has opened the door to Dolphin rivals, with the Jets and Patriots now known to have Cook on their respective radars. Indeed, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler said during a recent Get Up! appearance that the Jets have done their homework on the free agent back and are in the mix here (video link).

For the time being, the Jets can probably be classified as a team monitoring this market. They could become a true suitor, per the New York Post’s Brian Costello, but only if Cook reduces his asking price. Cook is said to be seeking a number close to his $10MM-plus Vikings salary. As of now, the Jets sit fifth in cap space with $23.2MM. Some moving parts exist regarding that number, however.

New York has had an Aaron Rodgers restructure on its radar since acquiring the future Hall of Fame quarterback in April. The Packers and Rodgers reached a restructure agreement on the way out, a move that caught the Jets by surprise. As a result, Rodgers is due a whopping $107.5MM in base salary next year. His cap number aligns with that eye-popping figure. With no player ever entering a season on even a $50MM cap hit, it is safe to say some cap mechanics will take place fairly soon.

The Jets will look to spread out Rodgers’ hit, but since the current arrangement calls for that $107MM number in 2024, such a transaction would raise the 2023 figure from its present $1.2MM place. The Buccaneers used void years to smooth out their cap during Tom Brady‘s tenure, and while they are eating $35MM-plus in dead money as a result of the legendary passer not re-signing with the team, Tampa Bay obviously picked up its second Super Bowl title after the monumental free agent signing. However, Fowler adds a Jets-Rodgers restructure could be contingent on the 39-year-old QB committing to play at least two seasons with the team.

Rodgers has gone year to year for a bit now, delaying his latest return announcement until after free agency began this year, and stopped short of saying he would play beyond 2023 at his introductory Jets presser. The 19th-year veteran did break a recent trend by attending OTAs and did say he viewed this trade as a multiyear commitment. During trade talks with the Packers, the Jets attempted to squeeze in a contract clause that would have required Green Bay to send a 2025 second-round choice over in the event Rodgers did not play in 2024. That term was left on the cutting-room floor. The trade only includes one 2024 component, the conditional first-round pick that would transfer from New York to Green Bay if Rodgers plays 65% of Gang Green’s 2023 offensive snaps.

While the Rodgers restructure will presumably increase his 2023 cap hit, the Jets can reduce Williams’ fifth-year option number ($9.59MM) with an extension agreement. The Bills did this by extending Ed Oliver, creating room for the Leonard Floyd signing. Douglas and Robert Saleh expressed confidence in a Williams re-up earlier this offseason, but Fowler did not indicate much progress has been made as of late. The Jets are also prepared to give Corey Davis an ultimatum. With Davis’ role set to be reduced, he is not long for the $11.17MM cap number to which he is currently tied. This transaction would also free up cap space.

Breece Hall is finishing up his rehab from an October ACL tear; the Jets expect their promising second-year back to return by Week 1. Cook has said he wants to sign with a contender with a clear running back need. Although the Jets are committing to chase a Super Bowl while Rodgers is in town, Cook could certainly cut into Hall’s development. Then again, adding high-profile insurance for a young player coming off a major knee injury would not be the worst idea for a team in the Jets’ situation. And, with the Dolphins and Patriots interested, the Jets adding Cook would mean a protection measure against one of their rivals improving its backfield.

Jets QB Zach Wilson Discusses Demotion

June 10th, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Ben Levine

If things go as planned for the Jets in 2023, Zach Wilson will not have a significant role. The former second-overall pick is now the definitive backup to Aaron Rodgers, and while he acknowledged that he’d much rather be the starter, he understands the reality of the situation.

“Yeah, I mean, of course, I would like to be the guy, so at first you’re not always happy about that,” Wilson said of his demotion (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “But I’m extremely psyched that, out of any quarterback you could’ve brought in, it was him.

“I can’t be bitter with the situation. I didn’t perform well and you have to take situations as they come.”

As Cimini notes, Wilson had a preexisting relationship with Rodgers, having visited the future Hall of Famer this offseason before trade talks took off. He’ll now be serving as the backup to his childhood idol, and Wilson believes the experience playing behind Rodgers will only benefit his career moving forward.

“I think right now I’m having a ton of fun, more fun than I’ve had,” he said. “And I think that’s just the quarterback room, being with Aaron. I think it’s feeling like every single day there’s so much to learn. It’s like every day I just learned 10 different things about playing quarterback position.”

After going 3-10 as a starter during his rookie season, Wilson found himself in and out of the lineup in 2023. He ultimately finished the season with a modest 5-4 record in nine starts, but Wilson’s performance did little to help the Jets’ cause. He completed only 54.5 percent of his passes while tossing six touchdowns vs. seven interceptions.

Wilson told reporters that the Jets were completely transparent during their pursuit of Rodgers, and it sounds like the QB2 has taken his demotion in stride. Coach Robert Saleh said he gives his young signal-caller a “ton of credit” for what must be a “very humbling” situation. Wilson will face a bit of competition during camp, with Tim Boyle and Chris Streveler competing for backup reps.

Aaron Rodgers Addresses Packers Exit

May 31st, 2023 at 10:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers‘ Green Bay departure would have been far messier had it occurred in 2021, when he requested to be moved. But the divorce, coming after a prolonged trade negotiation, has still produced a stream of headlines. The new Jets quarterback attempted to set the record straight regarding a few key 2020s Packers plotlines.

Shortly after the Packers traded up for Jordan Love in 2020, Rodgers said he no longer knew finishing his career in Green Bay was realistic. Before the 2021 trade request, Rodgers earned his third MVP honor despite the Packers using their first-round pick on a backup quarterback. While the Love choice did not directly impede Green Bay in 2020, the team suffered another narrow NFC championship defeat — at home against Tampa Bay — as its first-round pick did not contribute. That loss began an annual run of Rodgers-driven offseason uncertainty in Green Bay.

“Did I wanna, years down the line, go, ‘Well, what if we had just taken somebody who could impact our team because we had just gone to the NFC championship?’ Yeah, of course,” Rodgers said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman; subscription required) of the Packers’ decision to draft Love. “I don’t think any other competitor would say anything different.

“… We didn’t win the Super Bowl. [The Packers] had their guy in waiting. I knew that [the team going with Love] was always a possibility, that they would wanna go, ‘You know what? We tried hard. We tried to win a championship. We had a good team, but now it might be time to go with Jordan, move some contract stuff around and do that.'”

The organization made that decision two years after Rodgers requested a trade. The Packers could have obtained more for Rodgers in 2021, given his age and MVP form, but they rebuffed trade overtures during that offseason. Rodgers’ agent is believed to have made a blunt request to Packers president Mark Murphy at that time: trade Rodgers or fire GM Brian Gutekunst. The Rodgers-Gutekunst feud simmered throughout the ’21 offseason, and this ultimatum surfaced that summer. Wednesday’s report lends more support to the Rodgers-or-Gutekunst rumors. The 18-year veteran told Schneidman communication between he and Green Bay management improved once he returned to the team, but it still pales in comparison to the talks he has held with Jets management in the weeks since he arrived.

Although Rodgers re-signed with the Packers — on a three-year, $150.8MM deal the Jets are now in the process of restructuring — in March 2022, team brass has revealed dissatisfaction with the future Hall of Famer’s commitment level last year. The Packers viewed Rodgers skipping OTAs last year as detrimental to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs‘ rookie-year development, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, and Schneidman adds the team was dissatisfied with Rodgers’ day-to-day commitment throughout last season. The four-time MVP, who has been at Jets OTAs this offseason, disputed the notion his 2022 absence hindered the Packers.

“When I’m in, I’m all in, and you wanna ride with offseason workouts?” Rodgers said. “I won MVP without doing offseason workouts. Like, was my commitment any less then? I’d say not at all. The way that I come back to work, not just physically in good shape but mentally refreshed, is the best thing for me to have the season I wanted to have during those in Green Bay. I think that’s just a cop-out written to try and find something to disparage me about that, honestly, when you know what offseason workouts are really about, it’s completely ridiculous.”

The key difference between Rodgers’ 2021 OTAs absence and his 2022 no-show: receiving talent. Green Bay dealt Davante Adams to Las Vegas and let Marquez Valdes-Scantling leave for Kansas City in free agency last March. Adams has said the Packers’ final offer surpassed the Raiders’ deal (five years, $140MM) and that he wanted to leave Green Bay. But the sides also went through failed negotiations during the 2021 offseason. Adams sought to be the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver during the summer ’21 talks; Rodgers said the Packers’ initial offer was nowhere close, indicating it checked in below $20MM per year.

Adams broke off talks with the Packers ahead of last season and played out the $14.5MM-per-year extension he had signed in 2017. Although the Packers upped their offer before franchise-tagging him in 2022, Rodgers wonders if the team’s early hesitancy affected the All-Pro wideout’s desire to stay.

“They offered him less money than Christian Kirk and [Adams] is going, ‘Are you serious right now? I’m the best receiver in the league, and you’re gonna offer me less than Christian Kirk?’” Rodgers said of the Pack’s offer compared to Kirk’s $18MM-AAV Jaguars deal. “With all due respect, he’s not on Davante’s level.

“I’m sure that the team will say that’s just the business of negotiation — it’s like, yeah, but you’re also sending a message to that guy, and a lot of times it can stick with guys and make them a little sour on things. … That goes back to the first offer that they made, and I don’t think [the Packers] had the foresight — obviously didn’t have the foresight.”

Rodgers’ numbers suffered without Adams and Valdes-Scantling, with Doubs and Watson — the latter’s late-season surge notwithstanding — not measuring up to the veterans’ contributions. Gutekunst deferred to Rodgers’ MVP awards when asked in January if the veteran starter or Love gave the Packers a better chance to win. Three-plus months later, Rodgers became a Jet. Gutekunst did not believe he could sit Love for a fourth season, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and Rich Cimini; the sixth-year GM had said many times this offseason the fourth-year backup was ready to play.

Gutekunst and Rodgers did not meet this offseason; scheduling conflicts have been cited. The Packers have also accused Rodgers of rebuffing efforts to meet, per ESPN.com. Rodgers said he reached out to Packers management regarding a meeting with the front office and Matt LaFleur before he trekked to the darkness retreat, but after he referenced the Pack’s lack of communication, a desire to play for the Jets — rather than retire — emerged post-darkness. As Brett Favre did 15 years ago, Rodgers will now attempt to prove the Packers wrong.

“Did Brian text me more than I texted him? Yeah, but did I ghost him? No,” Rodgers said, via Schneidman. “I texted him back. There was back-and-forths that we had and so this is the story you wanna go with? You’re gonna stand on this hill of austerity and say that arguably in the conversation of the best player in your franchise history, you’re gonna say I couldn’t get a hold of him and that’s why we had to move on?

“Like, come on, man. Just tell the truth; you wanted to move on. You didn’t like the fact that we didn’t communicate all the time. Like, listen, I talk to the people that I like.”

Latest On Aaron Rodgers, Jets QB Depth

May 16th, 2023 at 9:21pm CST by Ben Levine

As the Jets continue to work on a new deal with Aaron Rodgers, the team is also considering other moves at the position. GM Joe Douglas told reporters that the organization could consider bringing back veteran Joe Flacco next season.

“We’re always going to keep the door open when any good player is available,” Douglas said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini on Twitter).

Flacco completed his third season with the Jets in 2022 (minus a brief stint with the Eagles). He actually got his most run this past year, completing 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,051 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions in five games (four starts). The veteran ended up starting nine games across three seasons with the organization, guiding the team to an 1-8 record while in the starting lineup.

The former Super Bowl MVP was initially signed to be the backup to Sam Darnold, and he was reacquired to play behind Zach Wilson. If Flacco were to re-sign with New York, he’d now be competing with Wilson for that QB2 spot behind Rodgers. The Jets are also rostering Tim Boyle and Chris Streveler at the position.

Meanwhile, the Jets continue to work with Rodgers on resolving his cap situation for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the Jets were surprised to learn that the QB had previously pushed the entirety of his fully-guaranteed $58.3MM option bonus to the 2024 season. As a result, Rodgers is eyeing a minimum salary commitment for 2023 and a untenable $107.55MM worth of compensation for 2024.

“We knew at the end of the trade that Aaron and Green Bay needed to work some things out,” Douglas told Florio. “We didn’t know the exact ramifications. It was just important to us that the cap number wasn’t going to go higher than it was at the time that we agreed to it. We didn’t know that it was actually going to go down to the minimum, so when they re-did the deal, you know, we saw the new number, knew that we saw that it was low for this year. We’re still working on restructuring aspects of the deal as we speak, but we feel like we’re in a really good place.”

There have been some questions about how long Rodgers intends to keep playing, with some wondering if his stint in New York may only last one season. As Florio notes, if Rodgers hopes to sniff a large chunk of that $107.5MM, he’ll likely have to commit to a new two-year pact with the Jets, locking him in through the 2024 campaign.

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