In the staring contest amid a potential trade of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it is the Green Bay Packers who appear to have blinked first.
General manager Brian Gutekunst stepped in front of microphones and the NFL’s Annual League Meeting on Monday, March 27, in Phoenix, Arizona. He was asked a question about the standoff between the Packers and the New York Jets over compensation for Rodgers. Gutekunst’s reply was one of two things — either a strategic concession meant to spur on the deal, or simply a mistake.
“That’s not a necessity,” Gutekunst said of the Packers procuring the Jets’ No. 13 overall pick in the first round of the upcoming draft.
“But at the same time, the value of the player, he’s a premier player,” Gutekunst added. “So I think getting premier picks back for that, or players, is important.”
Packers May Get 1st-Round Pick From Jets Two Drafts From Now
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on January 8, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Gutekunst’s answer is a break from reporting done by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and others, who cited sources saying that Green Bay was hellbent on getting the No. 13 pick back from the Jets in return for Rodgers.
Florio spoke to Monday’s developments on the Wednesday edition of The Pat McAfee Show.
“The Packers have backed away from wanting the Jets 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft”
@ProFootballTalk dives into what the trade compensation could be for Aaron Rodgers
“The hold up had been, Pat, that the Packers were adamant on getting the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, and I think they backed away from that,” Florio said. “The key this week was when Brian Gutekunst … said, ‘We’re not necessarily going to get a first-round pick.’ That, to me, was a major concession acknowledging they’re no longer demanding 13 overall in 2023.”
“I think they’re going to get [a] second-round pick from the Jets this year, second-round pick next year that can become a first-round pick depending upon what the Jets do with Aaron Rodgers this year, and on the back end, [the] possibility that the Jets get something back from the Packers [in 2025] if he only plays one year,” Florio continued.
Corey Davis Could be Part of Packers, Jets Trade For Rodgers
GettyWide receiver Corey Davis of the New York Jets runs for a touchdown after a reception during a game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on September 12, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
One thing to which Florio failed to allude in the clip above was Gutekunst’s intimation that current players could also end up a part of the trade for Rodgers, particularly if Green Bay can’t land a first-round pick in 2023 or a conditional one some other time down the line.
Zach Rosenblatt of The Athletic suggested on Tuesday that wide receiver Corey Davis is a prospective trade piece in the Rodgers deal. Rosenblatt pitched a proposal that sees the Jets send the Packers Davis and two second-round picks (2023, 2024) in exchange for Rodgers and a conditional 2025 third-round selection should Rodgers decide to forego the 2024 season and play only one year in New York.
Davis is 28 years old and playing on the final season of a three-year, $37.5 million deal. He is owed $10.5 million in total in 2023. Over the course of his six-year NFL career, Davis has caught 273 passes for 3,879 yards and 17 touchdowns. He put up a career-high of 16.8 yards per reception last season, per Pro Football Reference, despite a mediocre Jets offense that ranked 14th in the league in total passing yards gained.
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Packers Make Major Concession to Jets in Rodgers Trade Talks