New Jets Trade Proposal Nets Packers QB Aaron Rodgers for Huge Haul

Getty Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers throwing a pass during an NFL game.

This could finally be the deal that gets this thing finished.

A pair of writers for the Athletic acted as the general managers for the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers respectively. The goal was to simulate what trade conversations could look like between Joe Douglas and Brian Gutekunst.

Here is the deal they negotiated after some back-and-forth from both sides:

New York Jets receive: quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a 2023 third-rounder (No. 78 overall)

Green Bay Packers receive: a 2023 first-rounder (No. 13 overall), a conditional 2025 third-round draft choice, and veteran wide receiver Corey Davis

The conditions for the future draft choice are built around both team success and snap percentages. If A-Rod played over 50 percent of the snaps in 2024 that third would become a second. If he played in the postseason during that season, the pick would elevate to a first-round draft choice.

Jets Would Also Be Forced to Eat the Full Aaron Rodgers Contract

A big factor in the actual trade negotiations between the Jets and Packers reared its ugly head during these fake negotiations in the column posted on Thursday, March 23.

The massive Aaron Rodgers contract.

Zack Rosenblatt who played the role of Joe Douglas tried to get Matt Schneidman who played the role of Brian Gutekunst to pay a portion of the salary to acquiesce to a deal.

However, he refused to pay a single dime of the contract and instead made the Jets eat it as part of the negotiation.

In theory, the more the Jets eat in salary, the less they’ll have to send in the form of draft compensation to Green Bay. The opposite is also true, the less the Jets eat in salary, the more assets the Packers could command in a prospective deal.

So with that thought in mind it appears Rosenblatt significantly overpaid in this trade. If Gang Green is eating all the money under no circumstance should they sacrifice one first-round pick let alone leave the door open for potentially two.

Additionally, the incentive should be built around something much more difficult than simply making the playoffs. There are 16 teams in both conferences and seven teams from each side make the playoffs.

So 44 percent of the teams in the AFC make the playoffs every year and that should be the bar set for acquiring an additional first-round pick? I don’t think so.

Now if we’re talking about an AFC Championship game barometer? Or maybe a Super Bowl appearance?

You might be able to convince me with those levels, but not just for a playoff sighting.

Corey Davis Could Remain on Jets in 2023

Earlier this offseason it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Corey Davis had played his last snaps for the Jets.

However, there is now a realistic chance that he could remain on the team in 2023.

To quote Sil from The Sopranos, “just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in.”

The Jets have been moving a lot of furniture around in the wide receiver room. Players have left (Braxton Berrios and Elijah Moore) and new guys have come in (Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman), but Davis is still on the roster.

There have been some big-time flirtations with Odell Beckham Jr in free agency, but if that falls through the team could simply choose to stand pat with Davis.

They would likely have to explore some level of a restructuring because the former Western Michigan product is set to receive $10.5 million in salary in 2023.

He is entering the last year of his contract and if the Jets chose to move on they’d only have a $666,667 dead cap hit. The Jets could approach him about cutting his contract in half and fully guaranteeing it.

That is something the team did with Jamison Crowder back in 2021 and it worked out for both parties. The player got a little more financial security and the team got some cap relief.