The New York Jets are now all-in for Aaron Rodgers after meeting with the quarterback on Tuesday, and a series of departures have followed as they look to make room for the veteran.
The Jets made signing a "veteran quarterback" their priority this off-season, as although they remain committed to Zach Wilson for the long-term, the last campaign proved that he's not quite ready. Tom Brady ruled himself out of a potential trade when announcing his retirement in February, but the Jets are on the verge of bringing in Rodgers after holding positive talks in California.
Rodgers declared he was open to the move, and after the Green Bay Packers gave clearance for talks to commence this week, his off-season saga may finally be coming to an end. Talks appear to have gone well, with Jets confidence reported to be high following the initial round of conversations, and subsequent bold roster moves already underway in anticipation for a potential deal.
The Jets are certainly clearing cap space, as wide receiver Braxton Berrios was released by the organisation on Thursday and C.J. Uzomah's deal was restructured. They have agreed to bring in safety Chuck Clark from the Baltimore Ravens, but are still in a better position cap-wise than they were at the start of this week.
More space needs to be cleared for the Rodgers deal to work, but the Jets are doing all that they can to be in a position to trigger the blockbuster trade, and they are not hanging about. For Rodgers, it seems like the Jets are the only other option left for him if he decides not to return to the Packers.
The Jets have been keen on Rodgers for some time, but it's only recently that the quarterback begun speaking to the franchise. Rodgers reportedly spoke to the Jets on Monday over the phone, but then met with them in person on Tuesday as they flew to California.
The news went down extremely well with some of the Jets stars, who couldn't help but post on Twitter after the secret meeting went very public. Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall posted messages of support over a potential switch, and the signs are starting to move towards Rodgers becoming a Jets player rather than retirement or remaining with the Packers.
"Aye @AaronRodgers12 I promise if you become a Jet, I won’t pick you off in practice and I’ll burn the cheesehead," Gardner wrote on Twitter. Gardner mocked the Packers by wearing a cheesehead following their win last season, and he's happy to ditch it for Rodgers.
"Don’t mind me…Just Manifesting @AaronRodgers12," Hall added as he also caught wind of the news. There's still a lot to be done on the Jets side, but Rodgers is closer to leaving the Packers than ever before.
