The Green Bay Packers and New York Jets believe a deal for Aaron Rodgers can be completed before the end of the 2023 NFL Draft this week.
Rodgers has enjoyed 18 years as a member of the Packers - winning Super Bowl XLV - since he was drafted in 2005. However, Green Bay have expressed a willingness to move off the veteran quarterback this offseason and progress with Jordan Love, which has opened the door for the Jets.
The two franchises have been engaged in talks throughout the offseason and on the Pat McAfee Show last month, Rodgers publicly announced his ‘intention’ to play for the Jets - but no deal has yet been struck between the two franchises. Ultimately, it appears a matter of time before the deal is completed with the 2023 NFL Draft the key date at play.
The draft, which is on Thursday this week, is central to any trade concerning the four-time MVP. The Packers hold 10 selections in the draft compared to the Jets’ six picks, and one or two of their selections - likely No.42 and No.43 in round two - will be on the table.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas recently insisted the 39-year-old is ‘gonna be here’ before the season starts. Speculation suggests the two franchises could come to terms on a deal either right before the draft or perhaps during it.
It remains to be seen what the Jets are willing to give up for Rodgers, particularly after he admitted he was 90 per cent sure he was ready to retire after the 2022 season. His allusion appears to have unsettled Jets owner Woody Johnson as well as GM Douglas.
Rodgers - a 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro - signed a monster new contract with the Packers last offseason to earn $50.27m per year through the 2026 season, when he will be 43 years of age. The Super Bowl XLV MVP finished 2022 with 12 interceptions - the most he threw in a single campaign since 2008, his first year as a starter - while he also failed to post a single 300-yard passing game for the first time in his career.
This is perhaps why the Jets are reluctant to invest significant capital in a quarterback who may walk away from the NFL at the conclusion of the 2023 season. The two sides have reportedly failed to come to terms at this point because the NFC North franchise want a 2024 first-round pick to be included, but New York are only looking to offer a conditional first-rounder (a later pick that can become a first-rounder if specific conditions are met).
The three-day NFL Draft begins Thursday night with the first round, while the second round - where the Jets hold successive picks - will be conducted on Friday night. Until then, the Jets, Packers, Rodgers and the rest of the NFL world will hold their breath in anticipation.
