Aaron Rodgers

NFC South Notes: Campbell, Maye, Sanders

Defensive lineman Calais Campbell has accomplished a great deal in his NFL career, though he has never won a Super Bowl ring. So it came as something of a surprise when the six-time Pro Bowler, who is entering his age-37 season, agreed to sign with the Falcons in March after the Ravens made him a cap casualty. After all, Atlanta has not made the playoffs since 2018 and will be starting Desmond Ridder — a 2022 third-round choice who made just four starts in his rookie campaign — at quarterback.

Still, when this offseason arrived, the Falcons had free agency money to spend for the first time in the Terry Fontenot/Arthur Smith era, and they have been especially aggressive in bolstering their defense. Jessie Bates, Mike Hughes, Kaden Elliss, and David Onyemata were signed, and as Mike Rothstein of ESPN.com writes, adding those talents and a player like Campbell supports the message that Fontenot and Smith want to convey: that Atlanta is ready to compete and is a prime destination for high-end talent.

Campbell acknowledged that the uncertainty of the NFC South played a role in his decision (Twitter link via Rothstein), and he believes that the Falcons will indeed contend for a playoff spot in 2023. He spoke glowingly of his meetings with Smith, Fontenot, and new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, and he also watched tape of Ridder. All of that turned the Falcons from a team that was not on Campbell’s radar into the team for which he eschewed an extended free agency courtship.

Now for more from the NFC South, starting with several more items on Campbell and the Falcons:

  • Campbell said that more teams were interested in his services in 2023 than during his free agency stay in 2022, which ultimately concluded with a new deal with Baltimore. He also said he was “close” to signing with another club this year before agreeing to terms with the Falcons, though that mystery team did not make him feel the same way Atlanta did. In addition to his meetings with the Jaguars and Falcons, he had visits with the Jets and Bills on the docket, and he told CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson during an episode of The Crew podcast that Aaron Rodgers — who is expected to join the Jets in the near future — texted him and implored him to sign with Gang Green (Twitter link via Ari Meirov of The33rdTeam.com).
  • As Campbell explained in the above-referenced podcast, the Jets tried to get a deal done with him even before his would-be visit with New York, so perhaps they were the team that he nearly picked over the Falcons. And, per Rothstein, another factor that worked in the Falcons’ favor is that Atlanta plans to use him as a “true D-end,” meaning that he will line up on the edge on first and second downs.
  • Saints safety Marcus Maye was arrested in September on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm. As Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk wrote last month, those charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence. As most NFL fans know by now, the absence of criminal charges does not mean that a player will avoid league punishment, but since the time of Williams’ report, nothing has emerged on that front.
  • Running back Miles Sanders signed a four-year, $25MM contract with the Panthers in March, a deal that features $13MM in guaranteed money. Sanders indicated that the presence of Duce Staley, whom Carolina recently hired as its assistant head coach & running backs coach, was a big reason for his decision to join the Panthers (Twitter link via ESPN’s David Newton). Sanders spent the first four years of his career (2019-22) with the Eagles, and Staley was Philadelphia’s assistant head coach and running backs coach for the first two of those seasons.

Packers Still Seeking Jets First-Rounder In Aaron Rodgers Trade

Brian Gutekunst said the eventual Aaron Rodgers trade does not need to include a first-round pick, but it seems like the Packers have not abandoned hopes of collecting one from the Jets in these long-running trade talks.

The Packers are still angling to acquire the Jets’ 2024 first-round pick, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com said during an appearance on the Wilde and Tausch show with veteran reporter Jason Wilde and ex-Packers O-lineman Mark Tauscher. The Packers do not appear to be going after the Jets’ No. 13 pick this year, but Robinson adds they want a 2023 second-rounder and the 2024 first.

New York acquired an additional second-round pick in the Elijah Moore trade and now holds the Nos. 42 and 43 selections this year; the team is willing to give up at least a second-rounder in this deal. It should be expected one of them will be included in a Rodgers trade, and the talks could run up to Day 2 of this year’s draft. Unloading Rodgers by that point and picking up at least one high 2023 draft choice would be the best way for the Packers to give Rodgers’ successor, Jordan Love, more help after an 8-9 season. Should a trade not be completed by the draft, a number of possibilities enter the equation.

The Jets are balking at including a 2024 first-rounder in this deal, per Robinson, who said the Packers are open to including a 2025 draft choice in the swap in the event Rodgers retires after this coming season. Woody Johnson looks to be leading the holdup here, aiming to avoid a Broncos-like scenario that sees the asset struggling after the team parted with a monster trade haul. While the (post-Nathaniel Hackett) Wilson-Denver book is not closed, Seattle does hold the team’s No. 5 overall pick. It would seem Rodgers’ success in the Hackett-Matt LaFleur offense would protect the Jets against a similar combustion, but the 39-year-old QB’s annual retirement flirtations obviously have the Jets skittish about overpaying here.

At a Jets event recently, GM Joe Douglas expressed confidence Rodgers will soon be Big Apple-bound. The Packers owe Rodgers nearly $60MM, but that payment — which can be sent any time between now and Week 1 — is expected to be the Jets’ responsibility. How to restructure Rodgers’ $50.3MM-per-year contract — which runs through 2025 — represents a part of these trade talks as well.

With the Packers undoubtedly wanting no part of that near-$60MM payment, Rodgers will almost definitely be off their roster by Week 1. This process dragging past the draft would still turn up the heat a bit on the Jets, who will surely want Rodgers rostered before at least minicamp in June or training camp at the latest. The Jets standing down as Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo signed elsewhere obviously increases the pressure to acquire Rodgers, though Ryan Tannehill could conceivably become an emergency backup plan. The Jets have joined the rest of the league in not pursuing Lamar Jackson.

The Jets did not acquire Brett Favre until early August 2008, and with Rodgers spending the past four seasons running the offense Hackett will implement, assimilation is probably not a significant Jets concern. But the Jets can also attempt to wait out the Packers, as that bonus payment looms. That said, Rodgers developing chemistry with Garrett Wilson and Mecole Hardman will be important for the Jets, who gave longtime Rodgers auxiliary target Allen Lazard an $11MM-per-year deal.

It cost only a conditional third-round pick for the Jets to acquire Favre’s rights 15 years ago. Johnson was part of those negotiations, but his team will need to pay more for Favre’s successor. Day 2 of this year’s draft (April 28) will be the first major deadline in these negotiations.

Latest On Jets’ Pursuit Of Aaron Rodgers

We heard earlier this week that Jets owner Woody Johnson was starting to feel anxious about the lack of progress on an Aaron Rodgers trade. Joe Douglas did his part to quell any concern during a WFAN appearance last night, telling the crowd that Rodgers is “gonna be here” (h/t to ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter).

[RELATED: Multiple Day 2 Picks Viewed As Enough To Finalize Rodgers Trade?]

While Douglas has been careful with his wording while discussing Rodgers with the media, he’s also expressed continuous optimism that the two sides would eventually agree to compensation. However, Rich Cimini is cautioning (on Twitter) that this latest declaration isn’t a hint that a trade is pending.

The ESPN reporter notes that Douglas was playing to a “pro-Jets crowd,” and he cautions that nothing has changed on the trade front. Cimini refers back to Douglas’s comments during last month’s owners meetings, when the GM stated that he was “very optimistic” about acquiring the future Hall of Famer; Cimini says there’s been no progress since that time.

We heard recently that the two sides had completed most of the trade details but were still haggling over the exact compensation. While some pundits initially believed that the Packers would ask for New York’s 13th-overall selection, it’s seeming unlikely that the Jets will have to surrender a Day 1 pick. Rather, the general sentiment is that Green Bay will ultimately receive a Day 2 pick (perhaps the No. 43 pick acquired in the Elijah Moore trade) plus a conditional draft pick that hinges on Rodgers’ performance and decision on the 2024 season.

There’s always a chance the Packers could play hardball, but even the most pessimistic fan would be hard pressed to doubt Douglas’s sentiment. Rodgers has publicly stated his desire to play for the Jets next season, and the Packers have also all but cut ties with their franchise quarterback. This leaves Green Bay with little leverage in trade talks, and while they could continue to delay the transaction in hopes of squeezing out a few more assets, it’s only a matter of time before Rodgers is in New York.

Despite not being on the official roster, that hasn’t stopped Rodgers from working out with some of his former/future teammates. As passed along by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, Rodgers worked out with wide receiver Allen Lazard this week. The wideout spent five seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with career-highs in receptions (60) and receiving yards (788). Lazard inked a four-year contract with the Jets last month.

Jets Rumors: Beckham, Rodgers, Lawson, OL, Elliott

Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made quite a few headlines during the league’s recent owners’ meetings in Arizona. One such headline came from Rich Cimini of ESPN who reported that the veteran wideout was seeking a one-year deal worth $15MM.

It’s a bit difficult to imagine a team dedicating that kind of capital to a 30-year-old wide receiver who is coming off his second ACL injury in three years. Beckham is still a talented athlete and displayed his abilities during his short time with the Rams. Cimini estimates that a contract worth $10-12MM is much more likely for Beckham. In terms of annual average value, this would place Beckham just under Corey Davis and over players like Michael Gallup, Curtis Samuel, and Tim Patrick.

Despite bits of buzz concerning a few other teams, the Jets seem to remain the favorite to land Beckham’s services for 2023.

Here are a few other rumors pertaining to Gang Green:

  • There’s an understanding around league circles that the Packers will eventually trade star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to New York. That understanding has, as of yet, failed to materialize, and according to Cimini, it has Jets owner Woody Johnsonanxious.” Johnson claimed to be anxious but optimistic as the team awaits the resolution to the problem of compensation. As the two sides continue to work towards equal compensation, the Jets aren’t getting impatient, asserting that there’s no deadline on when they’d like a deal to be done.
  • As the Jets entertain more potential additions to their roster, they have their salary cap to keep in mind. A question that has arisen in regard to that issue is whether or not New York will release defensive end Carl Lawson. The Jets have only been able to get one strong season out of Lawson since signing him in 2021. A ruptured Achilles tendon kept him from playing during his first season in New York before he was able to debut for the team this year. Now, after only one season of play, Lawson is set to take up the second-largest chunk of the Jets’ cap space. There is a potential out built into Lawson’s contract that would allow the Jets to cut Lawson with only $333,334 in dead money, saving $15.4MM in cap space. Head coach Robert Saleh reportedly turned down that possibility, according to Andy Vasquez of the Star-Ledger, claiming not to speak for general manager Joe Douglas, but asserting that “as long as (Lawson) can walk and play” he’ll be a Jet.
  • Saleh also spoke to the offensive line, according to Vasquez. While changes on the offensive line may be imminent with the addition of multiple offensive linemen in free agency, the head coach made sure to confirm the plan for Alijah Vera-Tucker to return to the right guard position in 2023. Also concerning the offensive line, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com provided an update on offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, who reportedly is lighter than his NFL Combine weight after changing training facilities.
  • Another comment from Saleh concerned free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott, according to Vasquez. When asked about the possibility of bringing in the former Cowboy, Saleh told the media, “We love our running back room. I’ll leave it at that.” The Jets enter 2023 with a strong 1-2 punch of Breece Hall, whose rookie season was cut short due to injury, and Michael Carter.

Multiple Day 2 Picks Viewed As Enough To Finalize Aaron Rodgers Trade?

These Jets-Packers talks dragging into April should not exactly surprise. Since Aaron Rodgers‘ 2021 trade request became public, lengthy sagas featuring drawn-out announcements have become standard for the future Hall of Famer. After Rodgers’ latest delay, he is not believed to be the holdup here.

Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday a first-round pick does not need to be part of this trade, though it was believed the veteran Green Bay GM was targeting New York’s No. 13 overall at earlier points during these negotiations. While Gutekunst’s comment about trade compensation could be viewed as a signal that pick is off the table, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes it still could take multiple high picks for the Jets to complete this deal.

The view around the league points to the Packers targeting two high picks — one potentially the second-rounder the Jets obtained in the Elijah Moore trade (No. 43 overall) — with the second being a conditional choice that hinges on Rodgers’ performance and decision on the 2024 season. As could be expected, Rodgers’ 2024 status is a major issue for the Jets, Fowler adds. Rodgers said back in the late 2010s he wanted to play into his 40s but has since walked that back a bit, leading to this offseason’s extended, darkness-enhanced retirement deliberation. Rodgers, 39, said he was 90% retired when he began the darkness retreat earlier this month.

The Jets have expressed concerns to the Packers about overpaying for a player who plans to play only one more year. While that would not seem to matter much to the Pack anymore, the Jets’ worries about Rodgers being a one-and-done for them — as Brett Favre was 15 years ago — are worth monitoring. It would seem unlikely Rodgers will provide an early guarantee he will play in 2024, but the trade value the Pack extract from the Jets will be telling as to the AFC team’s belief in how much longer the four-time MVP plans to play.

Most of this deal is completed, per Fowler, due to the legwork the teams did in recent weeks. Neither team is believed to be in a rush here, with on-field football work not beginning until May — and that is if Rodgers shows for OTAs, which he has not done since 2019 — but Albert Breer of SI.com notes a deal crossing the goal line this week is not out of the question. The Packers backing off their first-round pick pursuit would stand to expedite an agreement, and Breer adds the trade will be completed before the draft.

Every exec surveyed at this week’s league meetings expects the trade to happen, and Jets GM Joe Douglas refusing to use a potential Lamar Jackson pursuit as leverage is somewhat indicative he believes this deal is close. Then again, no team has made it known it will pursue Jackson. But two teams’ quarterback situations are on track to be solidified soon, with Rodgers supplanting Zach Wilson and Love following the Rodgers path by taking over as QB1 ahead of his fourth season.

The Jets were interested in re-signing Mike White, but he is now with the Dolphins. A setup in which Rodgers and another notable veteran joined Wilson in the Jets’ quarterback room seemed like wishful thinking, and Robert Saleh confirmed this week Wilson — his stock’s freefall notwithstanding — is set to be the Jets’ second-stringer. The former No. 2 overall pick spent last season in all three positions on the Jets’ depth chart; he will land in the middle once the Rodgers dust settles. Chris Streveler is the only other QB on the Jets’ roster.

Jets Willing To Give Up Second-Round Pick For Aaron Rodgers

MARCH 28: Providing the latest update on the matter of compensation, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports that talks are now centered on the possibility of New York sending a second-round pick in 2023 and ’24 to Green Bay. The latter selection would be conditional, and have the potential to become a first-rounder depending on the Jets’ success with Rodgers at the helm.

With the 39-year-old admitting that retirement was a strong consideration following this past season, however, the Jets remain hesitant to sign off on 2024 compensation without assurances Rodgers will continue his career that long. As a result, Robinson notes that New York is seeking 2025 draft capital from the Packers in the event Rodgers does indeed retire after next season, to help protect against the lost draft pick in 2024. Progress made within this new framework will help determine if/when this deal gets over the finish line.

MARCH 27: The Jets and Packers remain engaged in trade talks on Aaron Rodgers; this week’s league meetings will allow for additional time for the sides to produce a resolution. While Douglas said Monday no timetable is in place, the Jets GM acknowledged progress has occurred.

Another Jets transaction may have changed the Rodgers talks. In trading Elijah Moore, the Jets obtained an additional second-round pick (No. 43 overall) from the Browns. They are willing to give up that pick for Rodgers, Armando Salguero of Outkick.com notes, but have thus far refused to part with their first-rounder (No. 13 overall). The Packers want a first-rounder in this trade.

Gang Green is also likely prepared to part with a conditional draft asset down the road, Salguero adds. That choice’s value could be a sticking point as well. When asked about parting with the No. 13 pick in this deal, Douglas did not shoot down that prospect, nor did he address which picks have been discussed. But the veteran Jets GM said that selection will give the team a chance to “bring in a strong player,” while confirming (via The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt) the Jets and Packers’ talks are not where they need to be yet.

Fifteen years ago, the Jets sent the Packers a conditional draft choice — which ended up a 2009 third-rounder — for Brett Favre. The Packers are positioned to land more for Rodgers, who made it clear he is ready to join the Jets. The Packers are moving forward with Jordan Love, but they want better draft capital than the Jets have offered. They also want “cap-related concessions” in this deal, Salguero adds.

It would cost the Packers just more than $40MM to trade Rodgers before June 1. While that dead-money number drops considerably (to $15.8MM) on a deal after that date, the Packers look to be targeting more than just draft capital from the Jets, who would — absent any contract maneuvering — have Rodgers on their 2023 cap sheet at barely $15MM in 2023. The Jets are, assuming they finish this trade, prepared to pay Rodgers’ roughly $59MM bonus negotiated into his three-year, $150.8MM extension agreed to last March.

Leverage in the form of a Lamar Jackson pursuit could have been an option for the Jets, but Douglas joined the host of teams preparing to stand down on the Ravens’ disgruntled quarterback. Praising Jackson but not wanting to negotiate with the Packers in bad faith, as they are far down the Rodgers road, Douglas said (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello) the Jets will not pursue him. Hit with the franchise tag, Jackson has requested a trade.

Jackson would likely have been a Jets consideration had he requested a trade in January or February, SNY’s Connor Hughes adds (video link). The team met with Derek Carr, but its Rodgers meeting took place a day after Carr signed with the Saints. It would seem the Jets could still pivot to Jackson, though the former MVP would cost far more in a trade and require a monster extension. But they are pot-committed to Rodgers at this point. That represents good news for the Packers. While Green Bay is certainly taking a risk with its Rodgers-to-Love transition, the team is set to collect a premium draft choice for a player no longer in its plans.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst Addresses Aaron Rodgers Situation

The Packers have been entrenched in their drama with Aaron Rodgers for years now. With the end seemingly drawing nearer and nearer, general manager Brian Gutekunst gave some comments to the media today.

Primarily, Gutekunst confirmed what we all presumed, that he expects Jordan Love to take over as starting quarterback for the Packers in 2023. While he admitted that there were unknowns to be dealt with, mainly the pending trade deal shipping Rodgers to New York, everything is trending toward an offense centered around Love, according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Additionally, Gutekunst added that he is not necessitating a first-round pick in exchange for Rodgers. He stated that he wants a fair value for Rodgers, whom he called a “premier” player, but claimed that he isn’t drawing a line at the first round.

Gutekunst was also asked some hard-hitting questions from The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman about the team’s inability to communicate with Rodgers and Rodgers’ displeasure concerning the perception that the Packers were shopping him out, and Gutekunst didn’t shy away from the answers. Gutekunst basically asserted that they attempted to reach out after the season and, after they failed to reach him or get a response, Gutekunst “had to do (his) job.”

“Certainly, whenever a player may have issues, you prefer that they talk to you directly and not do it in the media,” Gutekunst said Monday, via Schneidman“But that’s not necessarily the way he goes about it and that’s okay.”

Gutekunst’s efforts to reach Rodgers were an attempt to discuss the future of the franchise and Rodgers’s part in it. After the season, though, he was only able to reach Rodgers’s representatives. After Gutekunst talked with the veteran’s representation, Rodgers asked for the trade, leading to the limbo that Green Bay is currently in. Most parties involved are going about their business as if Rodgers is a member of the Jets already. It’s only a matter of compensation at this point.

Jets Still Interested In Odell Beckham Jr.

The Jets’ wide receiver rearranging may not stop at swapping out Elijah Moore for Mecole Hardman. Despite adding Hardman and Allen Lazard, the Jets are still interested in signing Odell Beckham Jr., SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets.

Previous reports have indicated the Jets’ interest, though that remaining the case after Lazard and Hardman’s arrivals is certainly of note, but Hughes adds Beckham and Aaron Rodgers have discussed playing together in New York. Beckham is also interested in joining the Jets, Hughes tweets. Rodgers’ interest in playing with Beckham in New York became known last week, after the eight-year veteran joined Lazard, Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis on the quarterback’s list of hopeful Jet targets.

[RELATED: Jets Trade Elijah Moore To Browns]

New York’s receiving corps houses holdovers Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis. The Offensive Rookie of the Year is not going anywhere, but this continued Beckham interest points to the team considering taking Davis’ salary off the payroll. The Jets would obtain $10.5MM in cap space by releasing or trading Davis, who has one season remaining on the three-year, $37.5MM deal he inked in 2021.

Beckham, 30, is far from a safe bet. But Davis has missed 12 games since joining the Jets. OBJ obviously eclipses the former top-five pick for injury risk, having suffered two ACL tears between October 2020 and February 2022. The latter led to the former Pro Bowler missing all of last season, despite the Giants, Cowboys and Bills bringing him in for highly publicized December visits. Beckham both sought more money than those suitors were willing to pay and presented injury concerns — worries that became public after his Cowboys meeting.

The Packers pursued Beckham during his brief free agency stay in 2021, after the Browns agreed to release him. Green Bay ended up finishing second there, and Beckham made significant contributions to the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI-winning season. He topped 100 receiving yards in the 2021 NFC championship game and was on pace to do so again in the Super Bowl, but the second-quarter ACL tear sidetracked that effort — and Beckham’s career — instead.

Although Beckham has long been connected to a $20MM-per-year ask, he recently denied that is the case. Teams are clearly not going anywhere near that number for the talented but injury-prone target. The Jets hold just more than $10MM in cap space, though Rodgers’ contract is not yet on their payroll. The Jets are operating as though the four-time MVP will be their quarterback, and that is expected to happen.

New York’s receiving corps will already look different around its next QB, but will the team end up with three key additions around Wilson or just two? The Chiefs have also been loosely linked to Beckham, as they were in each of the past two years, and the draw of playing with Patrick Mahomes certainly would represent a threat to the Jets’ hopes here. DeAndre Hopkins has also been connected to Kansas City, with veteran NFL reporter Mike Jurecki again indicating (via Twitter) the defending champions are interested in these veteran pass catchers. The Chiefs have now lost Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and while they plan to give Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore bigger 2023 roles, another veteran presence makes sense.

The Giants and Cowboys are believed to be out on OBJ, though the rest of his market is not known. The Jets’ enduring presence here does make a Beckham Big Apple return an obvious scenario to monitor.

Packers Still Eyeing First-Round Pick From Jets For Aaron Rodgers

Late last week, the notion the Packers wanted a first-round pick and change from the Jets for Aaron Rodgers emerged. Despite Rodgers declaring his intention to join the Jets, the Packers are not believed to be budging.

While rumblings of the teams having agreed to compensation also surfaced, that certainly does not appear to be the case. The Packers want a first-round pick and then another asset down the road. In the event Rodgers plays in 2024, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes the Packers want another draft pick in 2025. Former GM Michael Lombardi brought this asking price to the forefront last week.

Fifteen years ago, the Jets sent the Packers a conditional draft choice — which eventually became a 2009 third-rounder — for Brett Favre. It is clear that will not finalize the next blockbuster Packers-Jets deal involving a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Rodgers attempted to make clear during his latest Pat McAfee Show appearance he is not holding up this trade; the Packers are. The Jets view the Pack’s ask as unreasonable for a player not in their plans any longer, Florio adds.

Rodgers making his Jets intentions clear could up the ante for the Packers, with no other teams on the radar for the 39-year-old passer. It also would cost the Packers more to trade Rodgers than it will for them to keep him on their payroll in 2023. A trade now would saddle Green Bay with $40MM in dead money, which would match the record-setting amount the Falcons ate in last year’s Matt Ryan trade. A Rodgers trade after June 1 would tag the Packers with just $15MM in dead cap. This rather large gap between the two trade timelines could certainly entice the Packers to drag their feet, and while Rodgers said weeks ago he expects a contract adjustment to occur before he is traded, not doing so could lead to a lengthy delay.

The Jets being near-certain they will obtain Rodgers could prompt them to act as though his contract will be on their payroll and operate accordingly throughout free agency. But some doubt would naturally exist the longer this situation drags. The team’s other targets — Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo — are long gone, representing another leverage-boosting factor for the Packers.

Though, the Jets being set to install Nathaniel Hackett‘s offense — the Matt LaFleur-implemented system Rodgers has played in for four seasons — would not make it a requirement for this trade to happen immediately. Rodgers already has a rapport with new Jet Allen Lazard, but he would need to develop timing with Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore and possibly Corey Davis — should the former top-five pick remains in the team’s 2023 plans.

Same as it was 15 years ago, when the Packers installed Rodgers as their starter following Favre retirement No. 1, Green Bay will turn to a fourth-year passer (Jordan Love). Favre re-emerged from retirement that summer. Rodgers indicating Wednesday he is not planning to retire separates these two situations, but the Jets did not have their 2008 QB starter on the roster until August 6.

It would be shocking if the Rodgers trade saga lasted that long, but with the Jets not wanting to give up a first-round pick, it will probably take some time for the teams to finalize this.

Aaron Rodgers Confirms Intention To Play For Jets

Wednesday marked another milestone in the 2023 version of Aaron Rodgers‘ decision-making process with respect to his playing future. During his latest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, a number of important updates were provided. One of them was the four-time MVP confirming his intention to play for the Jets.

Rodgers elaborated on the darkness retreat he went on at the end of last month, and the shift which took place in terms of his intentions. While prefacing a lengthy breakdown of his thought process, he said that a firm decision has already been made on his part (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Mike Giardi). Not long after that, he added that Friday marked the point at which he told the Packers of his desire to be traded to the Jets (Twitter link via Giardi’s colleague Tom Pelissero).

The 39-year-old admitted that he was “90 percent” leaning towards retirement upon beginning his darkness retreat. Once it had concluded, however, his reaction to the Packers’ openness to trading him (before he had confirmed he would continue his career) spurred a change of course (Twitter links via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). Now, attention will shift to the matter of trade compensation between the Packers and Jets.

On that point, Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that negotiations are still ongoing. He adds that Green Bay is not seeking multiple first-round picks in return for Rodgers, as recent blockbuster deals involving Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson have. The latter two passers were younger at the time of their respective acquisitions, though they did not have the pedigree of the 10-time Pro Bowler. Matt Schneidman of The Athletic tweets that Rodgers has not yet formally made a trade request to Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, though doing is surely a mere formality at this point.

The Packers have been left waiting to find out Rodgers’ intentions with a number of salary cap-related moves to be made, and a backup in Jordan Love the team (and several of its players) is comfortable elevating to the No. 1 role. They have thus unsurprisingly been open to the notion of trading the longest-tenured player in franchise history, a move which has long been expected to send him to the Jets. Rodgers mentioned that the team delayed communicating that line of thinking until well after the season (Twitter link via ESPN’s Rich Cimini).

New York has been one of several teams adamant they would aggressively pursue an upgrade under center this offseason. They eyed veterans Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo as potential free agent signings, but they have landed in New Orleans and Las Vegas, respectively. Their top priority, signaled as early as their decision to hire Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator, has remained Rodgers. The all-time great, in turn, said Hackett’s presence helped bring him around on joining the Jets.

In the opening days of the free agent period, it was reported that the four-time All-Pro submitted a wish list of pass catchers for New York to add. That included former Packer Allen Lazard, who has agreed to terms on a four-year, $44M pact with the Jets. When asked about the presence of such a list, Rodgers called the notion “ridiculous” (Twitter link via NFL Network’s James Palmer). It will nevertheless be interesting to see what further steps the Jets take in adding players tied to Rodgers if/when a trade is in place.

Rodgers also said that teams other than the Jets showed interest in him (Twitter link via Cimini). Schneidman’s colleague Jeff Howe tweets that the Raiders were one of them, which comes as little surprise given their need at QB before signing Garoppolo and the presence of Davante Adams. They have moved in a different direction, though, in agreeing to terms with Garoppolo.

Rodgers thanked the Packers organization on numerous occasions during today’s remarks. However, the next major element of his legacy appears to now be in place, and his career is all but assured to shift to New York. The Jets are set to land a massive addition at the quarterback position, while the Packers will fully commit to only their second transition at the position in the 21st century. It will look incredibly similar to their first, which involved Brett Favre being traded to the Jets (in 2008) and a fourth-year passer replacing him. Love will soon be set to step into the role Rodgers played for 15 seasons.