The future is now for the New York Jets. The team went all in on 39-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers this season, giving them a two or even one-year window to try and win a Super Bowl. Gang Green needs to pull out all the tricks in their arsenal in order to win now, and that should include a Jets trade with the Tennessee Titans for All-Pro running back Derrick Henry. Here’s why and what the perfect Derrick Henry trade looks like.

Derrick Henry would be a perfect fit for Jets

It’s Super Bowl or bust for the Jets in the 2023 NFL season with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. The franchise, which hasn’t been to the Big Game since “Broadway” Joe Namath led his team to an improbable victory in Super Bowl III.

With this in mind, the Jets have bent over backward to try and make Rodgers’ life easier. This includes bringing in two of the former Green Bay Packers QB’s old friends, wide receivers Allan Lazard and Randall Cobb.

Making another Jets trade to help get the best out of their new signal-caller makes a lot of sense.

Now, the Jets already have a star running back in 2022 second-round pick Breece Hall. In the RB’s rookie season, Hall put up 463 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 80 carries and made 19 catches for 218 yards, and scored a receiving touchdown in just seven games.

As good as Hall was — and likely will be in the future — the problem is, the rookie tore his ACL and meniscus in a Week 7 game vs. the Denver Broncos. And while all reports say that Hall is recovering nicely, running sprints at Jets OTAs, all NFL fans know that coming back from a torn ACL is usually a full-year process.

Even if Hall is ready for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season, there’s a good chance he won’t have all his athleticism and explosiveness fully back. The team should also be incredibly cautious with his workload in service to his long-term health.

Behind Hall on the Jets 2023 depth chart, the team has Michael Carter, Israel Abanikanda, and Zonovan Knight, a trio that doesn’t necessarily strike fear in the hearts of defenses.

The name Derrick Henry does still strike fear in opposing teams.

At 29, Henry might not be quite the back he was in 2019 and 2020 when he was the best back in the league, but he led the league in carries last season with 349 and put up 1,538 yards, and scored 13 rushing touchdowns.

The Titans are in the middle of a soft rebuild as they transition from the Ryan Tannehill Era to Malik Willis or Will Levis. Paying an RB $16.3 million this season just doesn’t make sense. That’s why the franchise is willing to pursue a Derrick Henry trade.

Bringing in a dominant, workhorse back to take the pressure off of Aaron Rodgers and Breece Hall makes a lot of sense, which is why a Jets trade for Henry is a perfect fit.

Trade requirements

A Jets’ Derrick Henry trade shouldn’t cost the Jets all that much.

Running backs don’t command first-round picks any more like wide receivers or quarterbacks do, which is good because the Jets likely won’t have their next season anyway if Rodgers plays 60% of the team’s snaps in 2023.

Even one of the best running backs in the league, Christian McCaffrey, got traded last season for a second, third, fourth, and fifth-round pick. The Jets shouldn’t have to give up that much to get Henry, as they are doing the Titans a bit of a favor here, taking Henry’s contract off their hands.

Tennessee will need to get a substantial haul, though, if they are going to trade away their franchise back. So, the perfect Jets trade for Derrick Henry is a 2023 third and two fourth-round picks.

This deal allows the Titans to get several picks for Henry (while also getting him off their books), which will be a win for them.

As for the Jets, they can’t trade their 2024 first or second-round picks, as they are conditionally promised to the Packers. However, what the Jets do have is mid-round picks to spare. In the 2024 NFL Draft, New York owns either the Denver Broncos or Miami Dolphins fourth-round pick from the trade of linebacker Jake Martin.

There will also have to be a little creative salary cap maneuvering to fit Henry’s $10-plus-million base salary next season, but since they are in full win-now mode, pushing money to the future shouldn’t be a consideration for the New York Jets this offseason.