Report: Jets Inquire About Trade Availability of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers
News 2/12/23
Aaron Rodgers might be going dark, but his trade market isn't.
The New York Jets have inquired about the embattled Green Bay Packers quarterback's availability, ESPN reported on Sunday. Last month Jets owner Woody Johnson said the team would pursue a veteran quarterback this offseason after getting disappointing play from former second-overall pick Zach Wilson in 2022.
Additionally, the Jets hired Rodgers' former offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, to the same position after Hackett was fired as head coach of the Denver Broncos following the 2022 season.
Although there's going to be interest from other teams for Rodgers' services, there's a chance he could retire. On The Pat McAfee Show earlier in the week, Rodgers said he would make his decision after going on a four-day "darkness" retreat shortly after the Super Bowl.
“That’s why it’s going to be important to get through this week and to take my isolation retreat and just to be able to contemplate all things my future and then be able to make a decision that I think is best for me moving forward and in the highest interest of my happiness and then move forward,” Rodgers said.
On his weekly podcast, Tom Brady, only recently retired, said, "You know what, I hope he doesn't retire. ... I think the league needs good quarterbacks, and he's one of the greats. So if he retires, it'll be a sad day for the league."
While the Jets are the only confirmed team to call about Rodgers' availability, there are others that make sense. During Pro Bowl weekend, Davante Adams, Rodgers’ former teammate in Green Bay, hinted at a possible reunion in Las Vegas. The Raiders will need a new quarterback this season because Derek Carr vetoed any trade and likely will be released in the coming days.
The 33rd Team analyst Ari Meirov believes the Tennessee Titans could make sense for Rodgers as well.
"Incumbent Ryan Tannehill has no guaranteed money left on his contract, making it easier for Tennessee to move on if it wants to," Meriov wrote earlier this week. "Rodgers also is building a home in Nashville. There are a couple of dots there to connect."
>> READ: Possible Rodgers Trade Partners
Regardless of how many teams emerge as contenders, the Packers and Rodgers will have plenty of time to find a partner thanks to the way his contract is structured.
Rodgers is guaranteed nearly $60 million if he doesn’t retire. Of the $59.5 million he is owed, $58.3 million is an option bonus. The Packers can exercise that option anytime starting on the first day of the new league year (March 15) until the day before the team's first regular-season game in September.
If the Packers move on from Rodgers, they'd likely be turning to Jordan Love, who has been sitting behind Rodgers since being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
While making media stops at the Super Bowl this week, Packers running back Aaron Jones said he believes Love is ready to lead the Packers if he has to this season.
“Jordan Love is ready. Jordan Love will be that guy,” Jones told Fox Sports’ Undisputed in Phoenix. “He made a huge jump this year.”
Love impressed this past season when he filled for Rodgers against the Philadelphia Eagles in November. He completed 6 of 9 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown pass.
For now, the Jets can call, but the ball is in Rodgers' court if he wants to continue playing.