Aaron Rodgers was all packed and ready to go to the New York Jets, but weeks after his trade request went public, he’s still a Packer. So, what’s happening? Is Rodgers going to stay a Packer after all the drama?
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The Green Bay Packers had an extremely disappointing season last year, missing out on the playoffs, and finishing the year with an 8-9 record, going under .500 for the first time since 2018 when Rodgers was injured for a good chunk.
The team let go of a number of key contributors that helped lead the Packers to a 13-3 record and the first seed in the NFC the previous year, namely All-Pro Davante Adams. Rodgers has voiced his frustration with the Packers franchise several times in year past, and this year, it finally resulted in a trade demand.
Rodgers even named the Jets as his preferred landing spot, the team that was long-speculated to target Rodgers should he become available. However, a deal still hasn’t been worked out between the two sides, and we don’t know when it will be.
The #Packers and #Jets haven’t been communicating about an Aaron Rodgers trade for weeks, per @AdamSchefter
“Both sides now appear to be dug in.”
“My understanding is there hasn’t been a whole lot of conversation, if any, over the last couple of weeks.”https://t.co/cApmEDIAmC
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 12, 2023
Will Aaron Rodgers end up staying in Green Bay?
So, what’s holding the deal up? The Packers know that Rodgers wants out. The Jets know they’re his preferred landing spot. Why hasn’t anything happened yet? Well, there are a few reasons to explain the massive delay in this deal.
One of the initial concerns revolved around Rodgers’ statement about being ‘90% sure he would retire.’ The Jets wanted additional security for this statement as they didn’t want to be roped into a single year with Rodgers before he hangs it up and not have the proper compensation.
Additionally, the Packers may be waiting for the June 1st deadline to trade Rodgers, as by his contract, they don’t save money unless he’s traded after June 1st. The two sides aren’t in a massive hurry and all parties involved are confident a deal will come through.
Former Packer Charles Woodson echoed these thoughts and current Packer David Bakhtiari admitted that the Packers are heading toward a rebuild.
Will Rodgers make the Jets a Super Bowl contender?
It’s hard to evaluate how good the Jets will be when Rodgers joins. They have a Super Bowl-level defense, and they have a set of young receivers who would complement Rodgers well. However, they’re largely inexperienced when it comes to playing winning football.
The situation is similar in ways to Brady joining Tampa Bay. The story of an old quarterback coming off a ‘down year’ to join a young up-and-coming team with quarterback troubles is too familiar. Rodgers would be the best quarterback the Jets would have employed in recent memory, perhaps even as far back as Brett Favre.
However, is Rodgers up to the mark? Can the rest of the roster make up for his presence? Only time will tell.
