Almost two weeks after Aaron Rodgers revealed publicly that he intends to play for the New York Jets in 2023, the longtime Packers quarterback remains in Green Bay. But there's reason to believe an inevitable trade could finally be on the horizon.
NFL personnel are gathering for annual league meetings this week. As Sports Illustrated notes, that means some of the top decision-makers from both the Jets and Packers are set to occupy the same halls of Phoenix's Arizona Biltmore resort in the coming days. That includes Jets owner Woody Johnson, who reportedly flew to California to meet with Rodgers after receiving permission from the Packers; general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh, who recently celebrated the QB's desire to play for New York. It also includes Packers president Mark Murphy, GM Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur.
It's possible, of course, that the two teams won't finalize potential trade terms during owners' meetings. SI's Albert Breer argued Monday that the Packers may need to "think beyond the 13th pick in the draft," currently owned by the Jets, in order to further trade talks -- implying that Green Bay has been focused on acquiring New York's first-round pick as part of a Rodgers deal.
With only a month until the 2023 NFL Draft, however, the Jets and Packers could be motivated to push the inevitable swap to completion so they can move forward with roster construction for this year. Technically, Rodgers' current contract dictates that Green Bay can't save money by dealing the QB until after June 1. The Packers also won't be on the hook for Rodgers' fully guaranteed $58 million option bonus for 2023 until Sept. 1. But if 2023 draft picks are the Packers' top target for compensation, then it stands to reason they'll look to move the former MVP before late-April.
