There isn’t a clear timeline for when the Aaron Rodgers trade will get done, but the NFL draft might be a clear deadline for the Jets and Packers.
The four-time MVP announced his intentions to play for New York on the “Pat McAfee Show” on March 15, but Green Bay has not shown panic to deal its franchise quarterback right away, as multiple reports detailed what is holding up a trade. NFL fans have debated who has more leverage in the situation, but former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum laid out what could be an awkward scenario for New York.
“From the Jets’ standpoint, you would like to have the trade done by the draft so you have Aaron Rodgers in the building with your new offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, and all the skill players,” Tannenbaum said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Tuesday. “Because the alternative, and Jets fans including yourself (Mike Greenberg) don’t want to hear this name, if they go out to OTAs with Zach Wilson, all these others players are going to look at him like, ‘Here we go again.’
“We don’t want to bring up Zach Wilson, but until Aaron Rodgers is in the building, that’s your QB1. But here’s the important part of this: If we don’t get it done by the draft, from the Jets’ perspective, then if I’m the Packers, I’m waiting until after June because from a Packers perspective, you can then move $25 million to 2024.”
Ryan Clark also pointed out how Green Bay could ask for more picks if a deal does not happen before the draft.
ESPN showed a graphic of key dates for fans to look out for, and April 17 is the first day of the Jets’ offseason program. The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft begins April 27. June 2 is the day the Packers can lower 2023 dead cap money if Rodgers is traded, and June 13 is when mandatory minicamp starts.
Jets skill players are all in on Rodgers coming to New York, which has left Wilson by the wayside.
The Packers reportedly have a high asking price for the 39-year-old, and the Jets might cave into Green Bay’s demands as the NFL draft draws closer, especially as the patience of New York fans, like Greenberg, continues to wear thin.
