The New York Jets and Green Bay Packers both want to get an Aaron Rodgers trade done. But that doesn’t mean working out the details is going to be quick or easy.
Reports have surfaced that there’ve been snags in trade talks. Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show that the Packers are “digging in their heels” instead of doing right by their star quarterback. But surely the Jets are not making things easy either, likely refusing to part with their No. 13 overall pick in this year’s draft.
The Jets and Packers are under intense pressure to make this trade happen. Even more so now that Rodgers went public with his intention to play for the Jets in 2023 and detailing how the Packers are eager to move on from him.
He has turned up the heat on both teams.
There’s a game of chicken going on, initiated by Green Bay, which wants to extract as much as it can in return for the four-time MVP. Yet, it just might be New York with the upper hand.
Let’s examine why the Jets have leverage over the Packers in an Aaron Rodgers trade.
Why Jets have Aaron Rodgers trade leverage
At first glance, it appears the Packers are the team with leverage. Rodgers said he plans to play for the Jets. At this point, it’s clear he has no intention of walking that back and playing for the Packers this season.
The Jets are desperate for an upgrade over Zach Wilson and believe a veteran QB will get them into the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. Their owner, coach and general manager have all publicly referenced this. Rodgers not only makes the Jets a playoff contender but a Super Bowl contender.
So, not making this trade would pretty much be a disaster for the Jets. You can just hear New York sports talk radio now and envision the insane tabloid headlines and columns.
Add in that their other best options are no longer viable. Derek Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints and Jimmy Garoppolo signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. No one really believes the Jets have the stomach to steal Lamar Jackson away from the Baltimore Ravens for all the fully guaranteed money he wants, plus the forfeiture of two first-round picks. Especially since they could negotiate a deal, only to have the Ravens match and keep Jackson, their franchise-tagged stud.
So, yeah, the Jets must get a Rodgers trade done.
That doesn’t mean the Jets are without significant leverage. In fact, they have the ultimate leverage because they are the only team willing to trade for Rodgers. Green Bay has zero other options. If Rodgers remains under contract to the Packers, they’re in a whole heap of trouble, crippled financially and with an angry 39-year-old franchise icon looming over the start of the Jordan Love era.
What then, Cheeseheads? Especially after team president Mark Murphy spoke publicly about Rodgers’s Green Bay tenure in the past tense. There’s no Plan B here for the Packers. So, yeah, they may try to extract a better draft pick or more players from the Jets and drag this trade out to make Rodgers and the Jets sweat. But in the end, it’s the Jets or bust. The Packers are screwed royally if this thing ends with Rodgers still under contract to Green Bay.
Realistically, the Jets don’t want to go down this road. But the Jets do have other options, albeit not nearly as good as acquiring Rodgers. Still, trying to trade for Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins or Ryan Tannehill is not nothing. Those are realistic options that, if consummated, would land the Jets a veteran QB capable of leading them to the postseason.
If the Packers don’t trade Rodgers to the Jets, they’re stuck with him. He’s not going to retire to help them out of this. He’ll be pissed and want them to suffer.
Neither team wants to blink first. However, it’s in the best interest of the Jets, Packers and Rodgers to complete this trade sooner rather than later.
But remember, the Jets have the ultimate leverage. The Packers have only one option. They have no backup plan.