Trade chatter in the NFL is heating up as the league’s transfer deadline (Nov. 5, 4:00 p.m. E.T.) approaches fast. With roughly six days left, the contenders are running out of time to upgrade their rosters for a championship chase.
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So far, we’ve seen three of the AFC’s best teams — the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens — acquire a wide receiver. The Chiefs also added a defensive end, Josh Uche, from the New England Patriots. Another AFC franchise, the New York Jets, traded for a wide receiver in recent weeks, reuniting Davante Adams with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
At 2-6, the Jets have a steep hill to climb to make the playoffs. A loss on Thursday to the Houston Texans could essentially end their season. If that defeat occurs, NBC’s Mike Florio expects New York to consider the unthinkable: parting ways with the 40-year-old Rodgers.
“If [New York loses]… [and] if a starting quarterback on a contending team gets injured this weekend, does Aaron Rodgers the quarterback go to Aaron Rodgers the general manager and ask for a trade?… if that would happen, does Aaron Rodgers get trade?… I think, at some level, he’d want [to be]… it’s his way out. It’s his way to try to finish his career with a positive note,” said Florio.
Florio went back to 2011, when the Las Vegas Raiders scooped the disgruntled Carson Palmer away from the Cincinnati Bengals, to insist that his theory could unfold. A similar situation could transpire with Rodgers, though it is highly unlikely. Florio himself acknowledged this moments later.
Florio believes there’s “too much baggage” for a contender to get Rodgers
Back during Rodgers’ prime, all the teams — except maybe those employing Peyton Manning and Tom Brady — would have jumped at the chance of signing Rodgers. Every passing day now pulls Rodgers a little further from his heyday. In 2024, he has made more news for his off-field activities than on-field success.
The loss to the now 2-6 New England Patriots in Week 8 would have dented confidence of the teams vying to get Rodgers. They have reasons to doubt his ability to beat other playoff-level squads. This is the main reason why Florio thinks any trade involving Rodgers will not transpire.
“I really do think, at this point, any team that would suffer the season-ending injury… you just go next man up. There’s just too much baggage right now with Aaron Rodgers… when you compare current skill level with all the crap you’ve got to deal with… I can’t imagine there’s a team out there… [that] will want to bring ‘The Aaron Rodgers Show’ to town,” he added.
New York’s next three games are at home — against the Texans (Week 9), the Indianapolis Colts (Week 10) and the Seattle Seahawks (Week 12). They may need to win all of them to have a realistic shot at the playoffs.
