The Jets are acquiring Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers in a blockbuster trade, adding the veteran quarterback they coveted and making a huge splash in the process.
SNY NFL Insider Connor Hughes confirms the Jets are sending a 2023 first-round pick (No. 13), a 2023 second-rounder (No. 42), a 2023 sixth-round pick (No. 207) and a conditional 2024 first- round pick that becomes a second rounder if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the plays that season, in exchange for Rodgers, the Packers’ 2023 first-round pick (No. 15) and a 2023 fifth-round pick (No. 170).
The move notably has Rodgers reuniting with his former Packers OC Nathaniel Hackettwho coached him to back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.
The trade began to feel inevitable after the star quarterback announced his intention not to retire and to play for New York, although the Packers were still holding out for more compensation.
In March, a contingent of Jets brass — including the owner Woody JohnsonGM Joe Douglasand head coach Robert Saleh — flew to California to meet with Rodgers. After the meeting, Gang Green and the rest of the NFL world awaited Rodgers’ decision.
The saga dragged on for six weeks, with the two sides reportedly not being in contact for weeks at a time. Still, Douglas expressed optimism that the trade would eventually happen, telling fans at a radio event that Rodgers was “going to be here.”
As the week of the draft began, the Jets and Packers re-engaged their talks and ultimately found a way to finally get the deal done.
New York’s full-court press of Rodgers began after Derek Carr agreed to sign with the New Orleans Saints, with the Jets turning their full attention to Rodgers.
While the Jets pursued Carr, Hughes reported that their main target was always Rodgers, and that the team would not move in another direction until they knew his intentions.
Rodgers’ 18-year career has been a historic one, as he ranks ninth in passing yards (59,055) and could close in on the Top 5 with a big 2023 season in New York.
The Jets ended last season on a six-game losing streak, with Zach Wilson being benched twice during the year and reports swirling that members of the team had lost faith in the QB.
With emerging young stars on both sides of the ball like Garrett Wilson, Sauce Gardner, Breece Halland Quinn Williams, the thought remained that the Jets were a veteran quarterback away from being not just playoff contenders, but Super Bowl contenders. And now, after this enormous deal, the Jets have found their QB.
The 39-year-old Rodgers gives the Jets a future Hall-of-Famer, setting up what should be one of their most anticipated seasons in recent memory.
And for those curious, Rodgers is expected to wear No. 8, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefterdespite Joe Namath giving Rodgers his blessing to wear No. 12.