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The NFL offseason is upon us and with that comes the turmoil of free agency, trades, the draft and more.
Once again Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is in the limelight this offseason. His relationship with the Packers has officially run its course and now he wants to be traded. His preferred destination is the New York Jets.
Rodgers Into Darkness
After the Packer’s season ended with a 20-16 loss to rival Detriot Lions, there was much speculation whether Rodgers would retire. Fans around the league questioned whether or not Rodgers would still be playing in the 2023-2024 season.
At the end of February, Rodgers went into a five-day, four-night darkness retreat to gain more clarity on the decision.
“So while in darkness, I contemplated a lot of things but one day I spent entirely on the reality that I was retiring, and one day I spent on the reality I was coming back and playing,” Rodgers said. “When I came out I was really interested in what the landscape was, where Green bay was at, if I wanted to play, what were the options?”
The conclusion was that the Packers were ready to move on once he came back into the light.
Rodgers Comes Forward with Intentions
"Since Friday my intention was to play for the New York Jets.. it's the compensation that's holding things up" ~ @AaronRodgers12#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/p7i0QBo2qQ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 15, 2023
On March 15, the intentions to be traded to and play for the New York Jets came into fruition once Rodgers went onto the PatMcAfeeShow.
He explained how he will forever have a love for Green Bay. However, they are the ones who made it clear that they were ready to move on.
Additionally, the Packers are not strangers to having complicated situations with their quarterback. On June 7, 2021, Rodgers held out of the mandatory minicamp.
Now it is seemingly coming to its demise.
Will it Get Done?
The organization and the quarterback have officially expressed their readiness to depart. However, there is still an issue with compensation.
There has been much discussion about how much a 39-year-old quarterback with 110 million dollars in guaranteed money deserves when it comes to draft capital.
Green Bay sees themselves deserving of high compensation due to Rodgers’ resume.
According to YahooSports, “As it stands, talks are focused on the Jets dealing two picks for the Packers quarterback. One second-round pick in next month’s NFL Draft and another second-rounder in 2024 that could graduate to a first-round pick with achievable team performance escalators.”
Both the Jets and Rodgers seem to agree on what they both want from each other. However, the Packers have yet to agree to a trade. Both sides are reportedly both being extremely patient with this process.
