As the New York Jets work toward acquiring Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers, there are other moves they can make. We’ll examine the one perfect NFL trade the Jets must complete in the 2023 offseason.

The Jets have made one trade so far this offseason, acquiring safety Chuck Clark from the Baltimore Ravens for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Since it’s likely the Jets will give up more picks in a Rodgers trade, general manager Joe Douglas will be trying to add a selection or two before this year’s draft. To do so, they’ll need to trade a player off their roster.

If New York really wanted to make a big splash and likely land a significant pick or two, it could trade defensive end Carl Lawson. That would save the team $15.4 million in salary cap space, which would help when Rodgers is officially acquired.

The problem, though, is trading Lawson opens a significant hole on defense for the Jets. He’s their top edge rusher and had seven sacks in 2022 coming back from a ruptured Achilles. Jermaine Johnson and Micheal Clemons showed promise as rookies last season, but neither is in Lawson’s league just yet.

So, New York must set its sights a bit lower. Let’s look at what the Jets should do on the trade market beyond bringing in Rodgers.

1 perfect NFL trade Jets must complete in 2023 offseason

The Jets must trade wide receiver Corey Davis. The 28-year-old is in the final season of a three-year contract and was essentially replaced when New York signed free agent Allen Lazard. Trading him would also save $10.5 million on the salary cap.

Davis should be an appealing option to teams looking for a second or third receiver. He averaged 16.8 yards on 32 receptions in 2022 and twice has caught 65 passes in a season. He is fearless over the middle and a solid run blocker, as well.

There are two issues, however. He’s had trouble staying healthy the past two seasons, missing 12 of 34 games. And his salary cap hit is north of $11 million in 2023.

Those two factors could limit Davis' return to something as low as a fifth-round draft pick. Even so, Douglas and the Jets would be happy to accept. The reality may be teams wait for Davis to be released instead of trading for him.

The Jets could include Davis in the Rodgers trade, too. That would help fill a need for Green Bay and also reunite Davis with coach Matt LaFleur, who was his offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans in 2018. In this scenario, packaging Davis and picks for Rodgers could also land the Jets a late-round pick in return, as well.