Getty The Green Bay Packers have entered into trade talks for Aaron Rodgers.
After months of speculation, rumors, and reports, the Green Bay Packers and general manager Brian Gutekunst have finally entered into trade talks surrounding star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, March 7, NFL insider Trey Wingo reported that Rodgers had met with the New York Jets and was open to a possible trade. While that report fueled even more speculation, Tom Silverstein with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that Rodgers could only meet with the AFC team if the Packers had given him permission to do so.
Zack Rosenblatt with The Athletic also confirmed Wingo’s report that the Jets had met with Rodgers, although he shared that the 39-year-old quarterback had still not made a decision about his future.
To take things a step further, ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano shared on Get Up! that he believes the Packers and Jets have already entered into discussions regarding a trade for Rodgers. Graziano also noted that he believes discussions have already happened between Rodgers and the Packers about him being traded.
With multiple credible reporters sharing information on the same situation, it’s becoming less of a rumor and more of a reality that a trade for the four-time MVP is imminent.
Why Do the Jets Make Sense For Rodgers and the Packers?
Although there were bound to be several teams interested in a potential Rodgers trade, no team has made more sense from the beginning than the Jets.
Heading into the offseason, the Jets were determined to find a new quarterback to replace the disappointing Zach Wilson, who was benched halfway through the 2022 season. The Jets even went as far as to host a visit for former Raiders QB Derek Carr, although the veteran is now heading to New Orleans to play for the Saints.
For Rodgers, the Jets are an ideal landing spot. Along with having a strong defense with the likes of Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, the offense features some key weapons including Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson and promising running back Breece Hall.
For the Packers, the team is hoping to find a trade partner with cap space and draft capital to make a blockbuster move. The Jets currently have three picks in the top 75 of the 2023 NFL Draft and are only just over the salary cap for 2023 prior to contract restructures, cuts, and trades.
If the Jets want to go all in for a Super Bowl run in 2023 and potentially 2024, a Rodgers trade could be what they need to get over the hump. The two sides have been consistently linked in a Rodgers trade, and that may finally be happening.
Is Jordan Love Ready to be a Starter?
After years of waiting behind a future Hall of Fame quarterback, Jordan Love could finally be getting his chance to prove himself in 2023.
A first-round pick out of Utah State in 2020, Love has been the succession plan to Rodgers for a while. The 24-year-old might have taken over sooner, but back-to-back MVP seasons from Rodgers delayed those plans.
Packers fans have seen very little of Love, who has made just one starter in 2021 against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he shined replacing an injured Rodgers against the Philadelphia Eagles this past season, completing 6 of 9 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown to finish out the game.
Love has been waiting patiently, but his patience has nearly run out. The 24-year-old has considered a trade request if Rodgers returns in 2023, so it may be best for all parties if the Packers move on from the four-time MVP and see what Love can do.