At the beginning of trade negotiations, the Green Bay Packers attempted to use history to set up the eventual package for Aaron Rodgers.
Rich Cimini of ESPN revealed in a column posted on Sunday, April 2 that Green Bay “raised the” Joe Montana trade from 1993 during “early” discussions with the New York Jets.
Montana, a third-rounder, and a player (safety David Whitmore) was traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a first-round pick.
Why Those Trade Packages Won’t Be the Same
The immediate pushback from the Jets’ side of things is the “apples and oranges” between the two situations, Cimini explained.
Rodgers is in the midst of a three-year $150 million contract he signed last offseason. Cimini said that in this potential trade between the Jets and Packers, Gang Green would be “relieving them of that burden, which should be factored into the trade compensation.”
It is a staring contest between two teams with an inevitable end.
Green Bay technically can hold out until the first of September when Rodgers’ $59 million option is due. Almost daring the Jets to run it back with Zach Wilson under center.
On New York’s side, they know the Packers want to turn the team over to Jordan Love in 2023. They are also aware that the relationship between Green Bay and Rodgers has soured.
The two sides have been chatting since prior to the Super Bowl and we’re less than a month away from the 2023 NFL draft.
Compromise Will Be Key to Jets-Packers Trade for Aaron Rodgers
The Packers have been asking for the moon and stars in trade talks with other teams and for good reason.
Rodgers is a four-time NFL MVP, a Super Bowl champion, and a future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. Green Bay should be trying everything in its power to get as much as it possibly can for a player of his magnitude.
On the other side of the coin, the Jets are attempting to acquire Rodgers for the cheapest price possible.
Gang Green is the only suitor remaining in these discussions. Every other NFL team that sniffed around Rodgers has since moved on to alternate QB options. Quite frankly at this stage they’re bidding against themselves.
Green Bay has already stated publicly on numerous occasions that its plan is to start the Love era in 2023.
This is one of those rare occasions where we already know the end of the story. What we don’t know is the path on how we get there.
The truth is normally somewhere in the middle. Green Bay was seeking a first-rounder plus and the Jets were offering a package of mid-round picks.
Ultimately this deal will get done when both sides are willing to reach that gray area in the middle.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the NFL’s annual league meetings that he’d like this to get done sooner rather than later. Seemingly pointing to the 2023 NFL draft as a pivot point in these discussions.
In a perfect world, the Packers would like the compensation for a Rodgers trade before the start of April’s draft. That would allow them to use those pieces to build around Love right now.
However, if they wait until after the draft to strike a deal, the majority of those pieces wouldn’t be able to help until at least 2024.
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Packers Pushed ‘Joe Montana Deal’ in Aaron Rodgers-Jets Trade Talks