Packers trade Aaron Rodgers for Jets for multiple picks

For the second time in 15 years, Green Bay Packers trading an aging symbol with New York Jets.

The Packers agreed on Monday to settle the quarterback Aaron Rodgers and their 2023 first-round pick (No. 15) and 2023 fifth-round pick (No. 170) for the Jets for New York’s 2023 first-round pick (No. 13), second-round pick year 2023 (No. 13). 42), a sixth-round pick in 2023 (No. 207) and a conditional second-round pick in 2024 will become first picks if Rodgers plays 65% of the games this season, sources say. with ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

Rodgers is scheduled to arrive in New Jersey on Tuesday night, sources told ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

Although Hall of Fame quarterback and Jets franchise icon Joe Namath has blessed Rodgers to wear the number 12 shirt, the new Jets midfielder is expected to wear the number 8 shirt – the number he already wears. while in college at Cal, a source told Schefter.

Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst was hesitant to comment on details of the deal on Monday, but — during his previously scheduled annual draft press conference, which began shortly after the news. about broken commercial terms — he said there were still a few final details to be worked out. Among them is likely that Rodgers still has to have a fitness test.

Gutekunst said it was important to him that the deal be done before the draft.

“It won’t be the end of the world,” Gutekunst said. “But at the same time, I think it’s definitely going to change things quite a bit. So getting it done is important. I just think that certainly capital for this year is very important, definitely more valuable. things in the future, for our football team. So there are some reasons, but that’s why.”

The blockbuster comes 40 days after Rodgers announced on “The Pat McAfee Show” that his “intention” was to play for the Jets in 2023, causing intermittent negotiations between the Jets and the Packers to have dominate the NFL’s headlines.

The two sides talked for weeks before talks broke down, then discussions heated up again late last week. In the end, Jets general manager Joe Douglas and Gutekunst were able to resolve their differences and come to an agreement.

With Rodgers now traded to New York, the Jets are expected to be prime time favorites when the NFL schedule is announced next month and could play up to six games into the box. prime time, sources told Schefter. They had one last year, a home game on Thursday night against Jacksonville Jaguar.

After the trade, the Jets’ odds at Caesars Sportsbook to win the Super Bowl are 14-1, while the Packers’ odds are 50-1. The Jets’ knockout rate is -150, while that of the Packers is +170. Rodgers’ odds of being named the NFL’s MVP are 18-1, the seventh lowest among all players.

For the Jets, frustrated by years of loss and poor midfield play, it was arguably the biggest deal in their history, reminiscent of Brett Favre’s swap with the Packers in 2008.

Not satisfied with Zach Wilson, selected in 2nd place in 2021, Douglas is on a big break as he and coach Robert Saleh enter a potential year. The Jets haven’t made it to the knockout stages in 12 years, the longest drought in the country’s four major sports leagues.

For the Packers, it marked the end of an era. Rodgers, 39, a four-time NFL MVP, led them to 11 knockouts and a Super Bowl championship in 15 years as the starting quarterback. Unlike Favre, who wants to return to the Packers after not yet retiring, Rodgers appears to want to leave even after he said last summer he was “definitely” ending his career with the Packers. .

Things have gotten a bit contentious between Rodgers and the Packers this season. Rodgers said when he left Green Bay to start his season, he had the impression he would be welcome back. But he said when he stepped out of his dark retreat in late February that he had a feeling that something had changed.

For the Packers, what has changed is that they can’t talk to Rodgers. Although Rodgers says he’d rather have direct contact with the team, Gutekunst said the midfielder would not respond to what he called “many” attempts to reach him this season.

The Packers are now expected to move to Jordan love, 2020’s first pick, who spent the previous three seasons backing up, although they will almost certainly have to add another midfielder or two. It was Gutekunst’s controversial decision to draft Love that ultimately set the wheel of motion for Rodgers’ departure.

The transaction ends weeks of speculation about Rodgers’ future, which has become a tradition to the contrary. In February, he spent four days in a dark retreat – a period of self-isolation in which he hopes to find clarity. He said in a recent interview that retirement is one of the options.

Several members of the Jets, including Douglas, Saleh and owner Woody Johnson, flew to Southern California on March 7 on Johnson’s private jet to meet with Rodgers to convince him to accept the deal. By then, they had been given permission by the Packers to speak to him. The Jets have been targeting him since January, never wavering despite their interest in the free agent. Derek Carr.

When the Jets received the commitment from Rodgers, the reaction “in the building was pretty high and everyone was so excited about having a player of that caliber,” Johnson said.

Just a year ago, Rodgers seemed destined to end his career in Green Bay. After contemplating retiring after the 2021 season, he signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension in March 2022.

Instead, the Jets will inherit the rest of his contract, which includes $59,465 million guaranteed wages and bonuses this season. Much of that is made up of $58.3 million in prize money due no later than Week 1 of this season.

The Packers must now absorb $40.3 million in dead money above their pay cap. Because his winnings are prorated, Rodgers won’t cripple the Jets’ cap. He will earn $15.8 million in 2023 and $32.5 million in 2024, a friendly limit for a player of his caliber.

Rodgers is expected to renegotiate his contract before a formal transaction.

Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur have said publicly during and after this past season that they will welcome Rodgers back in another year, with Gutekunst noting on January 13, “We’ve made a really big commitment. with him last season, so I think when we do that, it’s definitely not just because of this. [past] year.”

That sentiment seemed to change as the season progressed, culminating in Gutekunst saying in late February that all options were on the table, referring to a trade, a return to the Packers or retirement.

Rodgers is going through one of his worst seasons. He has nearly as many interceptions (12) as he did in the previous three seasons combined (13). After consecutive MVP seasons, Rodgers threw the fewest yards (3,695) in any season where he played at least 15 games. He hasn’t had a single match past 300 yards. He’s never had a season with less than three games over 300 yards before.

He hasn’t missed a game, even though he has played most of the season with a broken right thumb. He also handles rib and knee injuries.

LaFleur helped Rodgers get back to MVP form, but the two never reached the Super Bowl together. The Packers haven’t been there since they won Super Bowl XLV. Rodgers has lost four NFC Championship Games since that title, including twice with LaFleur (2019 and 2020). The Packers also lost in the split (2021) as NFC’s No. 1 seed.

As for the Jets, Johnson recently said the quarterback was their “missing piece” and that he would “definitely” pay a lot of money to get a veteran.

The Jets started three different quarterfinals last season, contributing to stiff difficulties in attack and a six-game losing streak through the end of the season. They changed their attack coordinator, moving from Mike LaFleur and hiring former Packers attack coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Hackett developed a close relationship with Rodgers from 2019 to 2021, around the time Rodgers won his third and fourth MVP awards.

In recent years, the Jets have been trying to find a long-term quarterback through the draft. They used the first pick on Mark Sanchez (2009), Sam Darnold (2018) and Wilson (2021) but never achieved stability in this position. Since 2010, their last playoff season, the Jets had the fewest touchdown passes (225) and tied for a tie with Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the most interceptions (210).

They hope that Rodgers, with his experience and past success, can ignite an attack that includes rising players like wide receivers. Garrett Wilson and run again Breece’s Hall. They believe their defence, fourth in terms of yards allowed, has reached championship stature.

Team officials have repeatedly said that Wilson, 23, who was benched twice last season, will remain on the roster in hopes that he will develop. One of the subplots of the shakeup is the Wilson-Rodgers dynamic. Wilson grew up idolizing Rodgers and the two became friends.

Rodgers left Green Bay as the Packers franchise leader in touchdown passes (475), completion rate (65.3) and passer rating (103.6) and ranked only behind Favre in passing yards (59,055) and completions (5,001).

His 475 touchdown passes rank fifth in NFL history and he has the best touch-to-block ratio (475-105) in league history. He made 10 Pro Bowls and four times was selected as the first team All-Pro quarterback (2011, 2014, 2020 and 2021 – all his MVP seasons).

Rodgers said he always planned to compete in his 40s. He will do so – as long as he remains healthy until his December 2 birthday – but that will be with another team.