Packers send Aaron Rodgers to Jets in blockbuster deal

Aaron Rodgers – refer to caption – CC BY-SA

On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news live on television that the Green Bay Packers have finally traded their four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers along with their first-round pick (No. 15) and a fifth-round pick (No. 170) in 2023 to the New York Jets.

The Jets will trade their first-round pick (No. 13), a second-round pick (No. 42) and a sixth-round pick (No. 207) in the 2023 draft, as well as a conditional second-round pick in the 2024 draft, to acquire Rodgers. The conditional pick will become first-round if the Super Bowl champion participates in 65 percent of the team’s plays this season.

Following the breaking news of the trade terms, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst refrained from commenting much on the deal on Monday.

Adam Schefter

2023-04-24 20:20

Aaron Rodgers is being traded to the New York Jets, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/eWbs1tDsu4

14088 584

However, during his pre-scheduled annual pre-draft news conference, he mentioned that a few final details still needed to be worked out. One of these details includes Rodgers’ physical, which is yet to be completed. Gutekunst also added he needed to finalize this deal before the draft.

The 49-year-old GM said there were two reasons why the Packers finally decided to let the veteran quarterback go. First, Rodgers’ age. The QB is 39 years old and the team is ready to pass the baton to 24-year-old Jordan Love.

“Aaron is obviously up there in age. I think he’s got some really good football left in him,” Gutekunst said, as per ESPN.

Second, this year’s draft picks. Gutekunst said Monday “moving forward with compensation in this year’s draft” was crucial in getting Rodgers’ deal done.

Rodgers’ trade talks

After the star quarterback announced on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he desired to play for the Jets in 2023, negotiations between the Packers and the Jets were ongoing for 40 days.

After weeks of talks, the negotiations between the two parties hit a roadblock. However, towards the end of last week, discussions picked up momentum again. Finally, Jets GM Joe Douglas and Gutekunst were able to work out their differences and come to an agreement.

According to sources, the Jets will likely become a prime-time favorite following Rodgers’ trade to New York. They could also feature in up to six prime-time games once the NFL schedule is released next month.

The previous year, they had only one prime-time game — a Thursday night game at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars.