Getty Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers reacts after throwing an incomplete pass during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 27, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers‘ asking price for Aaron Rodgers was recently revealed and as expected, four-time MVP QBs don’t come cheap — even when they’re pushing 40.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Packers want the New York Jets‘ No. 13 pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft in return for Rodgers, and that’s just the starting point.
“Per multiple sources, the Packers want a first-round pick and more from the Jets for Rodgers,” Florio wrote on Thursday, March 16. “The Packers want more than a first-round pick as part of the base deal. They want protection in 2025, in the event Rodgers plays in 2024. And that’s more than the Jets believe they should surrender for a player the Packers no longer want.”
Jets, Rodgers Surrendered Leverage to Packers With Recent Moves
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers has words for head coach Matt LaFleur during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
While Florio contended that the Packers are asking for more than they deserve, both the Jets and Rodgers opened the door for Green Bay’s current negotiating tactics.
While Rodgers satiated football fans everywhere by finally expressing his desire and intention to play for New York in 2023 during the March 15 edition of The Pat McAfee Show, no one was happier than the Packers front office to hear him put voice to those intentions.
Meanwhile, the Jets signed former Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard to a four-year contract worth $44 million, a move clearly intended to pique Rodgers’ interest in signing with New York, assuming it wasn’t an outright condition of his employment per behind-the-scenes conversations.
The Jets are financially invested in Rodgers now, and other options like Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo have left the building. Rodgers is invested publicly in playing for the Jets and according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, there are no other suitors interested in the quarterback at his more than $58 million price tag in 2023.
“There’s not another team involved that I’ve found, and so it’s just a bit of a stare-off,” Fowler reported on SportsCenter on Sunday, per Bleacher Report.
For the first time since trade rumors began, the Packers have leverage over Rodgers and the Jets in negotiations as they won’t suffer any financial repercussions by holding onto Rodgers’ massive contract until September — meaning Green Bay can sit back and wait to see if New York blinks.
Packers GM Gutekunst Settling Score With Rodgers Via Trade Talks
GettyGreen Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 1, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
However, Florio reported that this particular situation may be about a bit more than just business.
“Frankly, it feels personal at this point, and that’s no surprise. Rodgers reportedly wanted Packers [general manager] Brian Gutekunst to be fired a couple of years ago, something Rodgers never really tried to refute,” Florio wrote. “Now, two years later, Gutekunst has a chance to exact a little revenge — and so he is.”
Ultimately, a deal is almost certain to be completed. But whether it’s business, personal or both on the Packers’ side of things, holding out for the most they can get in return for Rodgers is irrefutably the correct move.
Green Bay picks at No. 15 in the upcoming draft and adding the Jets’ 13th overall selection would put the Packers in an enviable position to go a lot of different directions on Day 1. Florio reported that he ultimately believes Green Bay will accept an offer of a second-round pick in 2023 and a conditional pick that could equal another second-rounder in 2024, though only time will tell.