Green Bay Packers. New York Jets. It’s Time to Make This Trade Happen

The back and fourth discussion about who is winning the leverage battle in the Rodgers trade is tiring. It hasn’t been going on for that long and I’m already sick of hearing about it. There is no fair value, just the amount that one team is willing to give up versus the return the other team is willing take. Comparing previous quarterback trades or perceived Rodgers value is futile.

This is a very unique situation. Neither team has more or less leverage than the other. Both have needs and this trade can and should be a win win. The Jets have a roster ready to make a playoff run, they just need a quarterback. The Packers have publicly stated they are moving on to Jordan Love and their future financial situation improves dramatically with Aaron Rodgers out of the picture.

So what’s the hold up? Why are these front offices struggling to come to an agreement when the alternative for both is ugly? Can the Jets afford to go bargain bin shopping or give Zach Wilson another shot? Can the Packers risk Rodgers being petty and refusing to retire if the Packers don’t trade him? The answer to the previous two questions is no.

From what we’ve heard from the get go, the Packers had been asking for first round draft compensation. Some reports have said 1 pick, others have said 2 or equivalent value. It should be extremely obvious by now that multiple first round picks aren’t coming back. Realistically, the Packers likely don’t see a single first round pick in return at this point.

Packer fans have convinced themselves it’s a first round pick or bust. As much as I understood that thought process a few weeks ago, things have changed. The value just isn’t there for a quarterback that could very well only play one season and is owed a ton of money as soon as he signs on the dotted line. Not too mention the fact Aaron was apparently “90% retired” during his darkness retreat which would have resulted in the Packers getting nothing.

Since then, Mark Murphy has said Rodgers won’t be back with the Packers and Aaron has stated he wants to be with the Jets. Yet here we sit with no trade to talk about. We can only debate what compensation is fair and who has the most leverage. It sadly doesn’t matter, trying to wait out each other accomplishes nothing. The Jets and Packers gain the most by making this work. Naturally each GM wants to get the most bang for their buck but at some point, you have to make sure you don’t leave empty handed.

The Jets have been adding weapons along with draft capital. This is good for them in general but leads one to believe they are trying to give themselves as many options as possible to find a trade package that appeases Brian Gutekunst. An extra second rounder could end up being the perfect draft compensation to make this thing work.

I don’t want to be dramatic and act like this trade NEEDS to happen now. It absolutely does not. In an ideal world, it happens before the 2023 NFL draft and the Packers add young, inexpensive talent for the upcoming season. If that doesn’t happen, they can do the same thing in 2024. Either way, there is compensation and value there. With that being said, these debates between talking heads and twitter arguments are pointless.

Each team has a major and potential dire need with neither franchise having more leverage than the other. Everyone can talk until they are blue in the face about how that’s incorrect but the fact a trade hasn’t been made yet is a small sign that it’s true. The only problem is, it sounds like Gutekunst hasn’t realized it yet. In his defense, we’ve only heard rumors about what the Packers initially wanted and nothing about what the Jets offered.

For all we know, the Jets could be epically low balling with Green Bay asking for the stars. If that’s the case, and even if it’s not, it’s time for these two franchises to make this trade happen. Both benefit from it and they will be ripped apart if it falls through. Like I said before, there is no rush, even if the goal is to have 2023 draft picks as the return. However, the back and fourth, poor reporting and questionable takes need to stop. A happy medium trade would solve everything. Lets get it done.

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