Getty An Aaron Rodgers trade could land the Green Bay Packers a talented (but disgruntled) wide receiver in Elijah Moore.
As Green Bay Packers fans and the the entire football world wait on a potential Aaron Rodgers trade, one disgruntled player for the New York Jets appears to be a logical piece that will be moved.
Almost exactly one year after announcing his return to Green Bay, Rodgers met with Jets officials while Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst entered into trade discussions with the AFC team. While Rodgers has yet to formally announce a decision about his future, the reports indicate that the 39-year-old will be playing elsewhere in 2023.
Little is known about what kind of trade package the Jets will be willing to offer, but NFL insider Benjamin Allbright shared that the offer will likely include picks and an unnamed player. There are few affordable options in a deal that the Jets would be willing to part with, and assuming a star like Quinnen Williams is off the table, wide receiver Elijah Moore makes almost too much sense.
How Things Went Sour for Moore and the Jets
If the Jets are going to part ways with a player to get Aaron Rodgers, shipping Moore off to Green Bay would solve a lot of problems for all parties involved.
Moore and the Jets have been dealing with a tumultuous relationship over the past year. A second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Moore was expected to be a key contributor in New York’s offense with Zach Wilson under center. Instead, Wilson was benched and Moore have a negligible impact for the Jets in 2022, catching only 37 passes for 446 yards and one touchdown.
Things turned sour for the two parties when Moore requested a trade at the deadline, sharing that he wasn’t getting the ball enough. Additional details that were released revealed a disgruntled and frustrated young player that had a profane outburst at Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
He may only be entering his third NFL season, but if Moore is still frustrated with the situation in New York, then the 22-year-old could be on his way out as part of a trade package for Aaron Rodgers.
Why Elijah Moore Makes Sense in Green Bay
For the Packers, if they feel comfortable enough in ensuring that Moore isn’t as upset with the offense in Green Bay, he could make a lot of sense for what the team is trying to do.
For starters, the Packers have limited cap space to go find additional weapons to take pressure off of rookie wideout Christian Watson. With two years still on his rookie deal, Moore will count for less than $2.5 million against the cap in 2023 and still be under contract through the 2024 season.
Moore’s role would also make him an enticing piece for the Packers. While Watson has established himself as an outside deep threat and Romeo Doubs showed flashes as an outside weapon, Moore played 341 of his 729 offensive snaps in the slot according to Pro Football Focus.
Although Moore is a bit smaller than the wide receivers Green Bay usually prefers at 5’10” and 178 pounds, his contract and scheme fit would make him an ideal piece in an Aaron Rodgers trade if the Jets aren’t willing to part with the kind of draft capital that the Packers are hoping for.