Getty Aaron Rodgers may still be with the Green Bay Packers, but that didn't keep him from trying to recruit Calais Campbell to the New York Jets.
Even though quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still on the Green Bay Packers, the future Hall of Famer is apparently not afraid to continue trying to recruit veteran free agents to join the New York Jets.
Despite a trade not being finalized, Rodgers sent the Jets a wish list of players he wanted to work with in New York, including star wideout Odell Beckham Jr.. While Beckham went on the sign with the Baltimore Ravens instead, the Jets were able to bring in one of Rodgers’ former teammates in Allen Lazard on a $44 million deal.
The 39-year-old quarterback wasn’t just trying to recruit skill players apparently. Six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell told Josina Anderson with CBS Sports that Rodgers had texted him to lure him to New York before he ultimately signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
“It was appealing to have him text you, but I kept getting a feeling that Atlanta was a special place,” Campbell said. It was a tough decision.”
Despite Rodgers’ best efforts to lure veterans to the Jets, it doesn’t seem like free agents are as keen on playing for New York as the four-time MVP may have thought.
Latest On Aaron Rodgers
Although all signs continue to point to Rodgers playing for the Jets in 2023, the fact that a trade still hasn’t been finalized has led to all kinds of rumors and speculation.
With the draft a week away, speculation is mounting that another team could try to swoop in and trade for Rodgers. The San Francisco 49ers have been mentioned as a real possibility, and a team that Rodgers could be interested in playing for since it was the team he grew up rooting for. The Tennessee Titans are another team that has been rumored to be interested, although their cap situation makes it unlikely.
Charles Robinson with Yahoo! Sports provided some key insight into why a trade is taking so long. Along with Green Bay’s asking price for Rodgers being a 2023 second-round pick and 2024 first-round pick, Robinson revealed that a trade between the two sides had been in place until Jets owner Woody Johnson became nervous about Rodgers’ future after he revealed he had been leaning towards retirement earlier this offseason.
Now, both sides continue to be dug in as the draft approaches, with a real possibility that a trade doesn’t get done until after the three-day event. If that happens, Jets and Packers fans will be clamoring for the trade rumors and drama to end.
Who Will Be Jordan Love’s Backup?
Assuming that Rodgers is gone before Week 1, it’s unclear who will be the team’s backup behind Jordan Love. As it currently stands, Danny Etling would be QB2, but the former LSU prospect has had very little game experience at the NFL level.
The Packers could go for a veteran backup to mentor Love. Matt Ryan is a name that’s been mentioned for Green Bay, with previous ties to Matt LaFleur in Atlanta and a full career of experience to possibly mentor Love.
General manager Brian Gutekunst could also go for a rookie quarterback as QB2. The team has already brought in Hendon Hooker and Sean Clifford for top-30 visits, but other Day 3 prospects like Dorian Thompson-Robinson out of UCLA or Fresno State’s Jake Haener could be strong fits as well.
Regardless of who the backup is, Packers fans will be much more interested in seeing what Love has to offer as a full-times starter.