Aaron Rodgers entered the 2023 NFL offseason with his future a complete mystery. It was unclear if he intended to continue playing football, whether it be with the Green Bay Packers or another team. As the offseason played itself out, it became clear that he was likely to be traded by the Packers, who appeared ready to give Jordan Love a shot as their starter.
The New York Jets quickly emerged as his most likely destination. They received permission from the Packers to speak with Rodgers directly, while reportedly agreeing in principle to a trade package. The Jets proceeded to add several players from Rodgers' apparent "wish list" and made it seem as though it was just a matter of time before the trade became official.
Several weeks later, the deal is still pending as the two sides are reportedly in a stalemate in regards to their trade demands. Packers insider Peter Bukowski has gathered all of the recent developments from many different NFL insiders and reliable sources to gage where this complicated situation currently stands.
Here's what Bukowski had to say on a recent episode of the "Locked On Packers" podcast:
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"The Packers and the Jets had a deal in principle, and it was 90 percent done. Then, the Jets go out and meet with Aaron Rodgers, and Rodgers gives his interview with Pat McAfee about a week later, and that spooks Woody Johnson. The '90 percent retired' comment spooks Woody Johnson, and he does not want to give up a bonafide first-round pick in the future, and wants conditions and all sorts of insurance in the future."
"The reality is, if the Packers and the Jets had a deal, and that deal was undermined or just pulled out of by the Jets to add additional conditions, that's not how this works. I can understand the Packers going, 'This is BS. This is nonsense. This is not how you negotiate in good faith .. OK, now we're going to make this hurt.' .. This could get ugly if Green Bay now feels jilted."
The Packers appear to have somewhat of an upper hand in this situation. They currently have Aaron Rodgers, the guy the Jets desparately want. If the Jets have in fact changed their compensation requirements, the Packers are well within their rights to do so as well.
What insurances are the Jets looking for in the Aaron Rodgers trade?
The Jets are reportedly looking for insurance, just in case Aaron Rodgers decides to retire following just one year in New York. While they allegedly agreed to give the Packers their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft next year, they apparently changed their minds a bit.
The Jets now supposedly want the first-rounder to be a conditional piece of the trade. The Packers apparently disagree with this major change in the deal and have even offered to send back draft picks of their own to keep the guaranteed 2024 pick the way it is. While this trade once seemed like a lock to happen, there now appears to be several hurdles to clear first.
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