NFL News: By far the biggest storyline of the 2023 NFL off-season has been the league-altering Aaron Rodgers trade that sent the four-time MVP to the New York Jets. It was back in mid-March when Aaron Rodgers announced on The Pat McAfee Show that he intended on playing for the Jets in 2023. However, it took nearly six weeks for the trade to go through.
Just days before the 2023 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers officially traded Aaron Rodgers to the Jets for multiple premium draft picks. While many may have seen the writing on the wall, the real reason the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers THIS off-season has been made public.
Green Bay Packers Traded A “Not Fully Engaged” Aaron Rodgers
While Aaron Rodgers made it clear he wanted to be traded from the Green Bay Packers, NFL insider Albert Breer recently revealed that the Packers had their own motivations for shipping Aaron Rodgers out of town:
“They think they’re getting a different player than the Packers got last year because of the level of engagement,” Breer told Wilson.
“Like they feel like if Rodgers had been around [the Packers] in April and May and June, it would have made a difference and is part of the reason why you didn’t see as much from those guys until later in the season. It was because he wasn’t there.
“And so, like, I think the early signs are good now, whether or not you know he is physically what he was, all that different stuff remains to be seen. But the level of engagement was the difference in Rodgers last year too.”
Was Aaron Rodgers Not Fully Engaged In 2022-23?
Aaron Rodgers commented multiple times throughout the 2022 season that “if he was there, he was all-in.” Rodgers spoke with The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman about his final years with the Packers. He discussed the team’s decision to draft his successor in Jordan Love and his relationship with general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Then, Schneidman reported that back in 2021, Rodgers’ agent had requested Packers president Mark Murphy to either fire Gutekunst, or trade the quarterback elsewhere. This was quite the bombshell interview by Rodgers.
“The hard truth is this is just how it goes with these sorts of situations, and probably how it was always going to go with Rodgers. The PR turf war between the Patriots and Tom Brady raged for a couple of years, all the same as we’ve heard more details drip out on Peyton Manning’s departure from the Colts (which was a little less ugly, because of Manning’s injury and the presence of Andrew Luck in that year’s draft) over the years.
“So how does this end? The Packers will either win or lose with Love. The Jets will either get to a Super Bowl with Rodgers or they don’t. In the meantime, we’ll hear more from both sides of the story. And it’ll all end a few years from now, with a ceremony to put Rodgers’s name up on the wall at Lambeau. Right alongside the name of another quarterback, in Brett Favre, who was no stranger to sort of spat Rodgers finds himself in now.”
Aaron Rodgers aired out a lot of the dirty laundry after he left the Green Bay Packers this off-season. A few off-seasons back Aaron Rodgers made comments that he felt the communication needed to be better from the front office. He also rattled off numerous veteran names that he felt the Packers moved on from too early. It seems like this breakup was a long time coming, however, Rodgers continues to talk about even after the breakup was official.
Was Aaron Rodgers fully engaged on the field in 2022? That is for him and his teammates to answer. Is it obvious that Aaron Rodgers mentally was ready to move on from the Green Bay Packers after the 2022 NFL season, well before the 2022 season was over? That seems pretty obvious. How truly engaged are you with a team when you mentally have one foot out of the door before the season is even over?
For more insights on the recent trade of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, check out our Aaron Rodgers News section. For updates on how the Green Bay Packers are adjusting, visit our Packers News page. Stay tuned for more NFL updates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who will be the Packers QB in 2023?
As of 2023, the Packers have appointed Jordan Love as their starting quarterback. After the trade of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, Love, the team's 2020 first-round draft pick, has risen to the top on the quarterback depth chart. With three years of valuable learning experience behind Rodgers, Love is now ready to take the helm and play for Packers in the upcoming season.
Did Aaron Rodgers go to the New England Patriots?
In a surprising move, Aaron Rodgers declined a trade to the New England Patriots and instead joined their rival, the New York Jets. The Green Bay Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets on April 26, marking a significant change for the star quarterback and setting the stage for an intriguing new chapter in his sports career.
