After a long wait, the Jets and Packers have finally agreed to a trade that sends quarterback Aaron Rodgers to New York and involves multiple picks moving around that ultimately boils down to the Jets sending a first and a second to Green Bay.
The bottom line is the Jets have their man and are ready to make a run in 2023. So who made out in this trade? Let’s talk about some winners and a loser (you can probably guess who that is) from this trade.
Winner - Aaron Rodgers
It all starts with Rodgers and, after a rocky end to his time in Green Bay, Rodgers will finish his longtime career somewhere else. He also gets a chance to win his second Super Bowl and help the Jets win their second Super Bowl in franchise history and first in over 50 years.
Rodgers becomes the most-exciting quarterback the Jets have had in a long time, maybe even since Joe Namath. Just look at the Jets on Twitter and how excited they all are. Rodgers has that effect. Rodgers is going to have so much command and respect in the locker room.
Loser - Zach Wilson
The writing was on the wall for a while, but now that the trade is done, time has just about run out on the former No. 2 overall pick. The whole reason the Jets even had to go out and make the trade for Rodgers was because Wilson flamed out in a hurry. He struggled as a rookie and then go even worse in his second season and that was with having rookies Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, the Offensive Rookie of the Year and someone that could have won the award if he didn’t get injured.
Wilson will back up Rodgers this season. He still has two years left on his contract, but Wilson has lost just about all support in the locker room and you have to think he’s lost confidence in himself. The man was benched for Mike White in 2023. Wilson may carve out a backup career role, but his time as a starter may (probably?) be done for good.
Winner - Garrett Wilson
Garrett Wilson won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022. He led all receivers with over 1,100 yards and added 83 catches and four touchdowns. The best part is he did all that with Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White and Chris Streveler all taking snaps in a regular-season game. Imagine what he’ll now be able to do with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the football. Fantasy football owners and analysts are already salivating over Wilson’s potential this season.
Winner - Jets fans
Jets fans have long been suffering. They’ve wanted good quarterback play for the longest time. They’ve wanted to taste playoff football for a long time. Now, the possibility is there not only for playoff football for the first time since the 2010 season, but to host a playoff game for the first time since the 2002 season.
The Jets had the second-best home attendance in 2022. It’s tough to get to No. 1 because of how big AT&T Stadium is, but Jets fans should be coming in waves next season, especially with the likelihood of multiple primetime games, something else Jets fans haven’t experienced much in years.
Loser - The rest of the AFC East
NFL.com’s Judy Battista came up with this idea and it makes a lot of sense. After years of the Jets being merely a speed bump for either the Patriots or Bills on their road to a divisional championship, the Jets are now a formidable challenger in the AFC East.
DraftKings currently has the Bills favored to win the division at +130. However, the Jets are right behind them at +225. Getting Rodgers wasn’t just about winning the division, though. They have their eyes sight on playing in Las Vegas in February at Super Bowl LVIII, in which the Jets now have the sixth-best odds on DraftKings to win at +1400. Only the Chiefs (+600), 49ers (+700), Eagles (+750), Bills (+850) and Bengals (+850) have better current odds.
