Aaron Rodgers announced his intentions to play for the Jets on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, but the Packers know they hold the power in negotiations.
New York has done its part in recruiting the four-time MVP quarterback, but Green Bay is under no obligation to rush a trade deal.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on “Get Up” on Thursday the Packers and Jets “were not close to completing a deal.” Rodgers reportedly has a wish list for players he would like to play with in New York, but he really only has one demand.
But while Green Bay doesn’t want Rodgers anymore, according to the 39-year-old quarterback, it doesn’t plan on letting him go easily.
“The Green Bay Packers aren’t going to be in a rush to get something done until they feel like they get sufficient compensation for the player that believes he is the greatest player in Packers’ franchise history,” Schefter said. ” … And they believe that there is a premium to be paid for that.
“When you look at the landscape of what other quarterbacks in recent trades in recent years have fetched, it has been a lot. What did the (Denver) Broncos give up for Russell Wilson? Multiple (first-round picks). What did the (Los Angeles) Rams give up for Matthew Stafford? Multiple (first-round picks). Not every quarterback has been traded for a package like that, but those conversations have occurred in the Packers building.”
The Seattle Seahawks acquired two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant for Wilson and a fouth-round pick last offseason.
The Detroit Lions acquired Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round pick and two first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 in exchange for Stafford in the 2021 offseason.
Those massive hauls are why the Baltimore Ravens’ decision to use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Lamar Jackson was a questionable one since they can at most get two first-round picks if someone lures him away with a deal. And it’s why the Packers will wait until the Jets get desperate enough to offer a huge haul.
Schefter clarified these are merely conversations within Green Bay. He reported the Jets might look for a trade similar to that of the Brett Favre trade, where the Packers acquired a conditional fourth-round pick.
On paper, it makes sense. Rodgers is an aging quarterback, and he is not guaranteed to play every season.
What’s clear, as of Thursday, is the Packers and Jets don’t seem to see eye-to-eye on the value of Rodgers. New York sees itself as a Super Bowl contender, so time will tell if it will cave into Green Bay’s reported high goals in a trade deal.
