GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Thursday the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets have agreed on the trade compensation and even the contract terms for Aaron Rodgers to be dealt to New York. All that needs to be done to finalize the deal is to have Rodgers approve. The 39 year old, 18 year veteran has yet to decide if he’ll agree to leave the only team he’s played for, retire from professional football or say thanks but no thanks to New York and return to the Packers to finish out the remaining two years on his existing contract scheduled to pay him 105 million dollars.
The trade compensation speculation has been driven by how much the Jets will give up for Rodgers. A first round pick? Maybe a second this year and if Rodgers plays in 2024, then a number one? Could other players be involved? Sauce Gardner, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year from the Jets tweeted Thursday he’s sure it will be a package deal involving more than just the quarterback. Would the Packers part ways with others like David Bakhtiari, Randall Cobb or Robert Tonyan as part of the deal? Then there’s the contract. If Rodgers is moved, the Packers would assume 40 million dollars of dead money against their cap and then there’s the 59.5 million dollar salary he’s due in 2023. How much of that will the Jets be willing to take on or could the Packers wind up covering some of that cost, paying Rodgers perhaps 20 or 30 million to play for someone else?
If Rodgers decides to accept the terms, we’ll all soon learn the details but it’s looking more and more like it’s the end of another glorious 15 year run of quarterback play in Green Bay as history would repeat itself. In 2008, Brett Favre wanted out of retirement but the Packers wanted Rodgers to play so the three time MVP and Super Bowl winner was traded to…..yup, the Jets.
The NFL awarded compensatory draft picks to teams that lost players in free agency a year ago. The Packers lost Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Lucas Patrick, Chandon Sullivan and Oren Burks but signed Jarran Reed. As a result, they’ve been awarded two extra selections. Green Bay was given a 5th round pick, the 170th overall, and a 7th rounder (256). That will give General Manager Brian Gutekunst a total of 10 picks in next month’s NFL draft. Green Bay will have single choices in each of the first four rounds, including the 15th overall choice in round one, two picks in the 5th, an empty sixth round and 4 choices in the 7th and final round.
