A new wrinkle in the offseason saga has been added to the mix for the New York Jets.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero joined Rich Eisen on Tuesday, February 21, and revealed a fascinating new tidbit on the Aaron Rodgers situation:
“The [Green Bay] Packers are going to have a market for him [Aaron Rodgers]. But also the other dynamic here is because he basically has veto power over any destination because of both contract and the retirement threat he can narrow it down to more or less one team and say I’m only going there. Then you lack the type of leverage that the [Houston] Texans had with Deshaun Watson. Where you could pin a price and say everybody has to meet it and let four teams try to beat each other out.”
Interesting tidbit from @TomPelissero on Aaron Rodgers, ‘because he basically has veto power over any destination’ (contract & retirement threat) he could say ‘I’m only going’ to insert team which could dramatically affect the trade price 👀 🎥 @RichEisenShow #Jets @richeisen
Trade Price for QB Aaron Rodgers Might Be Lower for Jets Than Originally Thought
During an ESPN special, NFL Insider Adam Schefter revealed on Wednesday, February 15 that if the Jets traded for Rodgers “it would include” the No. 13 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
However, this latest insider nugget from Pelissero seemingly throws that out the window.
Rodgers is expected to emerge from his darkness retreat at some point this week and when he does his football future should come into focus.
The 39-year-old holds all the leverage in this situation. He can pick any team in the league he wants to go to, like the Las Vegas Raiders or the Jets, and tell the Packers where he wants to go.
If they push back on the location or the team doesn’t offer what they’re looking for Rodgers can play hardball to get what he wants.
That could lead to a smaller trade package that is built around conditional future selections instead of the premium assets many assumed would be involved at the beginning of the offseason.
Leverage Is King for Aaron Rodgers in Jets Situation
A necessary component of any potential trade would require Rodgers to rework his contract which he said on the Pat McAfee show is something he is willing to do. If the Packers wanted to send him somewhere he wasn’t interested, Rodgers could refuse to rework his deal to block a trade somewhere.
Another avenue he has available is the threat of retirement. If Green Bay attempted to deal him somewhere he isn’t comfortable Rodgers could simply say that he is hanging up his cleats.
Long story short it appears the Rodgers trade price won’t be as high as some thought it would be. That could make the award-winning QB even more attractive to the Jets knowing the type of player they could acquire while also maintaining the majority of their assets to build around him in 2023.
At this point, this is an awkward staring contest between the Jets, Packers, and Rodgers to see what the heck is going on. Until that decision is made, the rest of the NFL landscape will be at a standstill.
Once the Rodgers decision drops, which is expected sooner rather than later, the rest of the quarterback dominos could quickly fall into place.
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Award Winning QB Could Force Trade to Jets in 2023: Insider