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The New England Patriots tried and failed to snag veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
Craig Carton, a WFAN sports talk radio personality, shared the wild story on The Carton Show.
“The New England Patriots made an offer to the Green Bay Packers to get Aaron Rodgers. When Aaron Rodgers heard it, his agent said no, we ain’t playing for New England, we want to be a Jet” Carton explained on the June 14 episode of “The Carton Show.”
“The Patriots made an offer for Aaron Rodgers, and he refused to play for New England.”
Jets Land Aaron Rodgers, Stick It to a Bitter Rival
While the Patriots got left in the dust, the New York Jets were the main beneficiary as they pulled off the blockbuster trade with the Packers for A-Rod.
Not only did Gang Green acquire one of the best quarterbacks of all time but they simultaneously prevented their division rival from doing so.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk revealed on April 4 that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick “has shopped” quarterback Mac Jones this offseason.
This new report from Carton reiterates that New England isn’t sold on its former first-round quarterback.
However, after making a failed pursuit for Rodgers, the Patriots decided to stand pat with its QB room.
This wasn’t the first time New England tried to dunk on the Jets this offseason.
During the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Patriots traded the No. 14 overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. New England gave the Steelers a discount on the trade so they could take the player they thought the Jets wanted.
However on “Flight 23 Ascension” the Jets camera crew revealed that general manager Joe Douglas actually predicted a Steelers-Patriots trade was going to happen before it did.
The documentary also revealed that the Patriots’ insight into the Jets’ draft plans was incorrect.
New England believed that its trade back with Pittsburgh was going to take away the Jets’ top choice with the No. 15 overall pick. However, the Jets’ true draft board had offensive tackle Broderick Jones as its third choice of three available players.
Jets-Patriots Is Important Measuring Stick Game in 2023
New England has beaten the Jets in 14 straight contests. The Patriots have won 22 of the last 24 games against New York.
The last time Gang Green beat New England without the aid of overtime was on January 16, 2011. Coincidentally that was also the last time the Jets were in the playoffs.
The arrival of Rodgers has inspired new hope among Jets fans that they can not only beat New England but can also ascend to new heights in the AFC East. The Jets haven’t won the division since 2002.
Gang Green owns the “hardest schedule” in the NFL from Week 1 to Week 12, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. The combined winning percentage of their opponents is .616 and eight of those 12 teams made the playoffs last season.
However, an argument could be made that the Week 3 home game versus the Patriots is the most important of them all.
On paper, it isn’t the toughest opponent on the docket for the Jets, but considering past demons it is a monkey the team has to get off of its back to truly realize its full potential in 2023.
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