Getty Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers smiling as he walks off the field after an NFL game.
The New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers are in the middle of a “stalemate” regarding a potential trade for QB Aaron Rodgers, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
However, the recent trade of wide receiver Elijah Moore to the Cleveland Browns could help “speed up the process.”
“The Jets and Packers are at a stalemate, with Green Bay wanting New York’s first-round pick (13th overall) and the Jets not willing to give it up. Perhaps this move will change the thought process for both teams,” Rosenblatt speculated in a column posted on Wednesday, March 23. “All of a sudden, the Jets have their first-round pick and two second-round picks (No. 42 and No. 43). Maybe that will make them more willing to give up their No. 13 pick, since it now wouldn’t be difficult to trade back into the first round. Or perhaps the Packers might be more pliable if the deal for Rodgers involved multiple second-round picks.”
Trade Talks Have Been Going on for Over a Month
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said that the Jets and Packers have been talking about a potential A-Rod trade since before the Super Bowl.
That game was played on February 12 and we are now approaching the end of March. There are two upcoming pressure point dates that could push the sides together to finalize a trade.
The annual NFL Owners meetings that run from March 26-29 in Arizona will have everyone in these trade negotiations in the same place.
If a deal can’t be consummated at that point, the next date to circle is the 2023 NFL draft. If a trade isn’t completed by that time, the Packers could drag their feet until June 1 to spread the cap hit of a Rodgers trade over several years.
However, we might not have to reach that point.
This Moore trade presents a ton of different options for both sides to consider.
Gang Green shipped off their $8.9 million investment along with a 2023 third-rounder to Cleveland in exchange for a 2023 second-rounder.
The Jets essentially jumped a full round in the draft order and provided themselves with more ammunition for a potential Rodgers trade.
Joe Douglas Has a Chance to Pull off a Jets Heist
With another second-round pick added to the fold, the Jets in theory have complete flexibility in the midst of these Rodgers-Packers negotiations.
Gang Green could send the No. 13 overall pick in the first round to Green Bay along with a veteran player and/or a future conditional pick.
If the team did that, they could package their pair of second-rounders to aggressively move up the board for a player they liked. That is more feasible with both the No. 42 and the No. 43 overall picks in their back pocket.
Or the other side of the coin, if the Jets shipped one or both of their second-rounders to Green Bay they could recoup that loss of picks later in the draft.
For example, the Jets could trade back from No. 13 overall and regain any second-rounders they may have lost in that proposed deal.
At the end of the day, the most important thing is finalizing this Rodgers trade. The arrival of the future Pro Football Hall of Famer completely changes the dynamic of the team and their outlook for the upcoming 2023 season.
The sooner that deal becomes official, the sooner the Jets can finalize a plan to build around him on both sides of the football. Perhaps this Moore trade put both sides one step closer to getting this thing done.