Getty Despite efforts from the Green Bay Packers, ESPN's Rob Demovsky shared that the team is unlikely to acquire a premium asset in an Aaron Rodgers trade.
The Green Bay Packers could finally be trading superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, but general manager Brian Gutekunst is likely going to be losing out on a premium asset.
Rodgers expressed his intention to play for the Jets at the start of NFL free agency, but more than a month has passed without a deal being finalized. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky provided an update on trade negotiations on SportsCenter on Monday, April 24. While he didn’t provide a firm update on where things stand, Demovsky provided a key detail on the compensation that the Packers might be receiving.
Neither @HannahStormESPN nor @danorlovsky7 liked my answer about what happens if a Rodgers trade doesn’t get done this week? #SeeYouInAugust
“Both sides have pretty much given up on the 13th pick being involved in this [trade],” Demovsky said. “The Jets aren’t going to part with it, the Packers have either stopped asking for it, or just know that they’re not going to get it.”
Packers fans had started a movement for the team to acquire the 13th overall pick in a Rodgers trade, calling it #13for12. Unfortunately for those fans, it’s looking like different compensation will be involved once Rodgers is finally moved.
Additional Updates on An Aaron Rodgers Trade
While the Packers may not be getting a first-round pick in this year’s draft for Rodgers, there’s hope that they can still get some premium assets in return for the four-time MVP.
Prior to the Packers and Jets rekindling trade talks days before the draft, Charles Robinson! with Yahoo Sports shared some key insights into negotiations between two teams. Robinson revealed that Green Bay’s asking price for Rodgers is a second-round pick this year and a guaranteed first-round pick in 2024.
Robinson also noted that a deal between the two teams had been in place before Jets owner Woody Johnson backed out after Rodgers shared that he was leaning towards retirement prior to his darkness retreat.
Demovsky also noted that with a Rodgers deal unlikely to include a first-round pick in 2023, a trade could wait to happen until Friday, April 28.
“Friday could be a more likely, and really more important day in [trade talks],” Demovsky said. “The Packers are going to want compensation in that second round…but if they’re going to get something that’s going to help them in this draft, that’s deal has to be done before the Jets go on the clock in the second round.”
If a deal isn’t done by Friday, Demovsky noted that the NFL world could continue waiting for news of a move through August.
Other Packers News
While all eyes are on Rodgers, the team is still preparing for the post-Rodgers era with Jordan Love and the 2023 NFL Draft.
All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari cleared the air about his expectations for the team on the “Open Mike Podcast” with Mike Silver. While he was supportive of the next era of Packers football, Bakhtiari mentioned that going from Rodgers to Love will naturally be a rebuild, just like it was for the 39-year-old quarterback when he originally replaced Brett Favre 15 years ago.
Meanwhile, the Packers are wrapping up top-30 visits and figuring out which direction they will go in this year’s draft. Top prospects including tight end Darnell Washington and offensive tackle Darnell Wright have been brought in for visits, but electric wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been named a “sneaky” pick for the the Packers in the first round.
While the idea of a first-round receiver is exciting for Packers fans, the team hasn’t taken one that early since Javon Walker in 2002, and there may be other more intriguing prospects for Gutekunst and his staff.