An Aaron Rodgers trade is finally happening.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Green Bay Packers are sending Rodgers, their No. 15 overall pick, and pick No. 170 to the New York Jets for the No. 13, 42, and 207 picks, in addition to a conditional 2024 second that could escalate into a first if the quarterback plays 65 percent of the Jets’ snaps.
Former Packers vice president Andrew Brandt appears to think Green Bay got a good deal.
“So let me get this straight,” Brandt wrote, “the Packers get
a first-round pick swap in 2023, a high second-round pick in 2023, a likely first-round pick in 2024 (at worst a second), [and] a $60 million financial obligation taken off their hands for a player that was never going to play for them again.”
So let me get this straight: the Packers get
A first-round pick swap in 2023
A high second-round pick in 2023
A likely first-round pick in 2024 (at worst a second)
A $60 million financial obligation taken off their hands
For
A player that was never going to play for them again.— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) April 24, 2023
Onlookers wondered how much Green Bay could reasonably expect after Rodgers publicly declared his intent to play for the Jets next season. Perhaps the decree instead pressured the Jets to acquire the 39-year-old to avoid a PR debacle.
Rodgers is coming off a tame season — for his lofty standards — in which he tallied 3,695 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns. He also threw his most interceptions (12) since 2008 with his worst quarterback rating (91.1) in 15 seasons as Green Bay’s starter.
New York may feel buyer’s remorse if Rodgers plays to that level or regresses more next season. Yet a franchise starved for a playoff contender took a shot on a future Hall of Famer who previously won back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021.
Meanwhile, the Packers get a strong return for a veteran who seriously considered retirement this winter. They’ll start fresh behind Jordan Love in 2023.