It's official: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers traded to New York Jets
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- After 18 years with the team, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is saying goodbye to Cheeseheads and heading east to the Big Apple to, presumably, start spreading the W's, according to the NFL.
The teams themselves have not officially announced the deal.
According to some reports, Rodgers was officially traded to the team in a deal that will give the Packers the 13th overall pick in the draft, as well as a 2023 second-round pick, a sixth-round pick, and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that would become a first-round one should Rodgers play 65% of his the play.
The Jets, in addition to Rodgers, would get a number 15 pick, and a 2023 fifth-round pick.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said Rodgers will be wearing #8 for the Jets instead of #12, out respect for Joe Namath.
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For weeks now, speculation has been high about Rodgers leaving Green Bay. In an interview on YouTube and Sirius XM's The Pat McAfee Show last month, the 39-year-old Rodgers said he believes the Packers want to move on and make 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love their starting quarterback.
"At this point, as I sit here, I think since Friday I've made it clear that my intention was to play and my intention is to play for the New York Jets," Rodgers said. "I haven't been holding anything up at this point. It's been compensation the Packers are trying to get for me, kind of digging their heels in."
However, at the time those comments were made, Rodgers also admitted he was still under contract with Wisconsin. He added it was time for the Packers to "do the right thing."
"I don't think there's a scenario where they're like, 'Well, we want this and the Jets aren't willing to give it to us, so we'll take you back,'" Rodgers said. "That's not the reality."
Several weeks of negotiations appeared to be stalled at times, with fans — and the teams — wondering when or if the trade would be completed.
"We're anxious," Jets owner Woody Johnson told reporters at the league's annual meetings on March 28. "I guess, as we look forward, we're optimistic. But we have a plan, so we're willing to stick with our plan. And I don't think anybody is hyperventilating at this point."
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Rodgers' move is the exact same one that was made by previous Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who went to New York for just one season in 2008 before crossing the aisle and joining the Minnesota Vikings.
The Jets' interest in Rodgers has been apparent as they seek to end the NFL's longest active playoff drought. They lost their final six games while going 7-10 last season and haven't reached the postseason since 2010.
Rodgers has been with the Packers since 2005, when he was drafted 24th overall. Throughout his career, he brought the team plenty of success stories, including a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, a game that also saw Rodgers win the MVP Award.
