For anyone doubting that Aaron Rodgers will be traded to the New York Jets this offseason, today’s media session with Robert Saleh will be hard to hear. While the impending trade is still being worked on by both sides, the Jets’ head coach had plenty to say on the situation when asked by reporters at the annual owners’ meetings in Phoenix. One of the questions he was asked was about Zach Wilson, the young quarterback who the Jets still see as the future of their franchise.
When asked about Wilson, Saleh said, “He’s our number two,” indicating that Wilson will be their backup quarterback next season.
What does Selah’s statement mean for the Aaron Rodgers trade?
In short, this indicates that the Jets are 100% planning on having Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback in 2023. Of course, the question is what will the Jets have to give up to make that happen. If they were willing to part with a first round pick to make it happen, it would already be a done deal. If they would be willing to part with the two second round picks they have, the trade would have happened already.
Clearly, there is still a lot of work to be done between the two front offices to make the trade work. What would help a great deal is if Rodgers would commit, at least verbally, to playing out the rest of his contract. This would mean the Jets would have him under center in 2023 and 2024.
Another thing that would help is the Packers picking up some of the money that Rodgers is owed. Now, they already will be on the hook for his dead cap hit because they already paid him that money. It’s not going anywhere. They are, of course, trying to avoid tying up anymore money in Rodgers as they look to retool their roster.
The trade will happen. It is just a matter of when.
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