Trade Proposal Sends Rodgers to AFC North for 2023 First-Round Pick

Getty Green Bay Packers superstar QB Aaron Rodgers in 2022.

When it comes to the Aaron Rodgers trade saga, the Green Bay Packers are proving the old adage that good things come to those who wait — or, in this case, stall.

Green Bay has been embroiled in trade discussions with the New York Jets for weeks, haggling over a price for Rodgers. Meanwhile, a couple of competing franchises with immediate Super Bowl aspirations have surfaced as potential competitors for the four-time MVP’s services, which could change the game entirely and up the Packers’ return for their 15-year starting QB.

The San Francisco 49ers re-emerged from the woodwork earlier this week as a potential player for Rodgers, per the Craig Carton Show. Then on Wednesday, April 5, Heavy NFL insider Matt Lombardo pitched the idea of the Baltimore Ravens pursuing a deal for Rodgers as they navigate their own quarterback conundrum with another former MVP in Lamar Jackson.

This is a roster that’s built to compete today in the AFC North, and with a healthy Jackson or Rodgers could be the biggest challengers to the Cincinnati Bengals within the division.

Might general manager Eric DeCosta float the idea of trading Baltimore’s own first-round pick, No. 22 overall, to the Packers for Rodgers and flip Jackson for the Colts’ [No. 4] pick? This would allow Baltimore to add an elite defender, with an MVP-pedigree quarterback to make a run at the Super Bowl in 2023 and perhaps 2024.

For Green Bay, a trade with the Ravens would get Rodgers out of the NFC, and perhaps net a premium asset in return.

Jets Hold Out in Rodgers Trade Talks May Help Packers

GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers looks on prior to a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field on November 17, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

The sticking point between Green Bay and New York has been the draft compensation the Jets are willing to give up in return for Rodgers.

Initially, the Packers held strong to their demand for the Jets’ No. 13 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. After that proved to be a non-starter for New York and Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst backed off it, the general consensus became that the deal will include a second-round pick in each of the next two drafts, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

As a stipulation, the 2024 second-rounder could potentially elevate to a first-round selection should the Jets attain a certain level of success with Rodgers under center next season — reaching and/or winning the Super Bowl, for example. The inclusion of a player, such as Jets wide receiver Corey Davis, has also been discussed.

However, a caveat is that if Rodgers were to retire after just one season in New York then the Packers would have to send the Jets some conditional draft compensation in 2025 as a safety net — a stipulation that Green Bay is currently unwilling to include.

Ravens, 49ers Can Offer Packers 1st-Round Pick For Rodgers

GettyGreen Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers may not end up with the New York Jets after all.

The emergence of the Ravens as a possible landing spot for Rodgers is a development that hurts the Jets, the same as Carton’s report about the 49ers’ willingness to trade a 2024 first-rounder did.

Acquiring the Ravens’ No. 22 overall pick in this year’s draft would allow Green Bay to go all kinds of different ways in the first round, as they own the rights to their own pick as well at No. 15. Baltimore would presumably include another selection, potentially in the second- or third-round this year or the next. Carton reported the 49ers are willing to go as high as a couple of third-rounders this year (they own the Nos. 99, 101 and 102 picks) as well as a first-rounder in 2024.

Either offer is superior to the Jets’ current proposal of a couple of second-rounders, which also requires protection from the Packers based on how long Rodgers plays. Rodgers stated publicly last month that he “intends” to play for the Jets, though moves to either San Francisco or Baltimore would presumably be palatable to the quarterback considering those teams’ statuses as Super Bowl contenders.

There is a great deal of smoke now billowing around the Rodgers trade saga, though how much actual fire exists remains to be seen. But one thing is for certain — if the Jets aren’t sweating yet, they soon should be, as the Packers continue to pick up more leverage (either perceived or real) with every day that rumors and reports of competing offers for Rodgers persist.