The mystery is finally over. Superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers intends to play for the New York Jets in the 2023 NFL season.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback made his desire clear during a live appearance on Pat McAfee’s show.
Aaron Rodgers on @PatMcAfeeShow "My intention is to play and to play for the New York Jets. I haven't been holding anything up at this point. It's the Packers and the compensation they're trying to get for me."
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) March 15, 2023
This has been the expectation for quite some time, but it wasn’t until now that Rodgers cleared things up once and for all. Now, the Packers and Jets can start really getting down to the nuts and bolts of a trade.
According to Rodgers, the Packers are not making things easy.
Rodgers says the Packers are "digging their heels in" in trade talks with the Jets, and indicates he'd like them to get a move on.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) March 15, 2023
Based on an earlier report, it is known that the Packers would like to receive compensation similar to what the Detroit Lions received in exchange of quarterback Matthew Stafford a couple years ago.
In that deal, the Lions got a fantastic return to the tune of Jared Goff, one third-round pick and two first-round picks.
With that in mind, Stafford was just 32 years old during his final season with the Lions. Rodgers, on the other hand, is already pushing 40. He will turn 40 in December.
Beyond that, Rodgers did show some possible signs of decline last season. Though he started all 17 games in the season, he led the Packers to just an 8-9 record. Moreover, he only passed for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
It was the first time that Rodgers failed to pass for at least 4,000 years in a full season of play since the 2015 campaign.
With all that in mind, it seems very likely that the Jets will not have any interest in mortgaging their future to land Rodgers.
Still, that is not to say that landing him would not be a massive get for the Jets. The Jets looked great early in the 2022 season and jumped ahead to a surprise 7-4 record after Week 12. However, the team lost its final six games and finished 7-10.
A big reason why the Jets struggled was because of their quarterback play. Rodgers surrounded by a talented and young offense and supported by a star-studded defense could be a really dangerous thing in the AFC this season.
Only time will tell if that pairing does indeed end up happening. At the moment, all signs are pointing to it.
