NFL News: Aaron Rodgers has made headlines all off-season.  From the moment the Green Bay Packers’ season ended in early January 2023, speculations began about his future.  Those speculations intensified when Rodgers announced the darkness retreat he planned to go on after the season was over.  Finally, those speculations came to a head when Aaron Rodgers announced his intentions to play for the New York Jets in mid-March.  It took nearly six weeks, but the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets finally came to an agreement days prior to the 2023 NFL Draft.  One aspect that may have delayed the initial trade?  Aaron Rodgers (and the Green Bay Packers) had more than one offer.

Aaron Rodgers And His Agent Reportedly Turned Down A Blockbuster Trade To The New England Patriots (NFL News)

As many presumed, the Green Bay Packers had more offers on the table than just the New York Jets.  The Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots were all reportedly interested as well.  The Patriots reportedly even made an offer, however, Aaron Rodgers and his agent rejected it.  Mike Santa Barbara further elaborated on this:

In April, the drama surrounding where quarterback Aaron Rodgers would land came to a merciful end when he chose to play for the New York Jets. According to FS1’s Craig Carton, though, another AFC East team had their eye on the multiple-time MVP.

On Wednesday’s “The Carton Show,” Carton reported that the New England Patriots made a run at Rodgers, but the new toast of New York rejected head coach Bill Belichick and the one-time NFL juggernaut.

“The New England Patriots made an offer to the Green Bay Packers to get Aaron Rodgers,” Carton said Wednesday. “And when Aaron Rodgers heard it, his agent said no, we ain’t playing for New England, we want to be a Jet.”

It might be difficult to imagine Rodgers donning a Patriots jersey or even interacting on the sideline with the hoodie-wearing Belichick, but there’s no denying how terrifying that duo might have been in the competitive AFC East. Alas, it wasn’t to be and Rodgers will instead lead the Jets, who are looking to rebound from a last-place finish in 2022.

As for the Patriots’ quarterback situation, their interest in Rodgers (if true), is another indictment on Mac Jones. Following a solid rookie campaign in which he recorded 22 touchdown passes against 13 interceptions, the 24-year-old suffered from a sophomore slump last season.

Why Did Aaron Rodgers And His Agent Turn Down The New England Patriots?  (NFL News)

Why would Aaron Rodgers turn down the opportunity to play with one of the best head coaches in NFL history?  I think the answer is pretty obvious.  Rodgers knew he would have a heavy influence in who the New York Jets would sign before/after trading for Aaron Rodgers.  That has been made obvious in the following months after the trade went down.  Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Billy Turner, Nathaniel Hackett, Randall Cobb, and now Adrian Amos have all joined the Jets this off-season.  It is doubtful that Rodgers would have that much influence with the New England Patriots’ front office.

This does, however, beg the question… what was the Patriots offer?  Could it have been better than what the Packers got from the Jets?  At the time, the Patriots knew they were competing with the Jets to get Rodgers, so it is likely the offer would have been substantially better.

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