It’s the worst-kept secret in football, yet Aaron Rodgers still hasn’t been traded to the New York Jets with a little under a month to go before the 2023 draft.
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk stated sources have told him there’s been some traction on a deal to send the four-time MVP to New York now that the Packers appear to have come down in their asking price.
“The holdup had been that the Packers were adamant on getting the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, and I think they’ve backed away from that,” Florio said. “The key this week was when Brian Gutekunst, the GM of the Packers, said ‘We’re not necessarily going to get a first-round pick.’ That to me was a major concession, acknowledging they’re no longer demanding 13 overall in 2023.”
"Unreasonable and irrational are two words I've heard from the Jets in relation to what the Packers demands were" ~ @ProFootballTalk #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/7zcLFdnNl0
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 29, 2023
Green Bay had reportedly been asking for a first-round pick and more for Rodgers, while the Jets have been adamant they didn’t feel comfortable parting with such assets given the uncertainty regarding how long Rodgers plans to play.
Florio says it’s looking like the two teams are hashing out a deal that will compensate the Packers with a conditional pick that could turn into a first-rounder in 2024 depending on Rodgers’ performance and the Jets could be looking to get a draft pick back from Green Bay should Rodgers retire after 2023.
“I think they’re going to get a second-round pick from the Jets this year, a second-round pick next year that can become a first-round pick depending on what the Jets do with Rodgers this year, and on the backend, the possibility that the Jets get something back from the Packers if he only plays one year,” Florio added.
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