The conclusion of the Great Aaron Rodgers Trade Saga seems to be drawing ever closer.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” Wednesday and said that while the Jets and Packers have yet to agree on compensation for the 39-year-old quarterback, Green Bay has backed off from wanting New York’s first-round pick. without. 2023 NFL Draft as part of the package.
“The bottom line was that the Packers were gunning for the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, and I think they got away with it,” Florio said.
“The key this week was Brian Gutekunst, Packers general manager, ‘we’re not necessarily going to get a first-round pick.’ It was a big concession to me that they’re no longer asking for 13 in 2023.”
Aaron RodgersGetty Images
Florio was referring to Gutekunst’s comments at the NFL owners meetings this week, where he said a first-round pick was not “necessary” in a Rodgers deal.
The two sides have been deadlocked for weeks as the entire NFL tries to negotiate a pending trade.
Rodgers announced his intention to play for the Jets on the March 15 episode of McAfee’s show, and as the Packers prepare to move on with quarterback Jordan Love, who was drafted in the first round three years ago.
At this point, neither side has any leverage, and according to Florio, the Jets weren’t happy that Green Bay wanted such a draft pick for a player they’ve already publicly moved on.
“Two words I heard from the Jets about what the Packers were asking: unreasonable and irrational,” Florio said. “I think something happened to him in Arizona that made him a little bit more reasonable.”
Florio said he thinks the Jets will end up giving the Packers a second-rounder in 2023, and could be a second-rounder in 2024 if Rodgers meets certain criteria in his first season in New York.
Presumptive Packers new starting QB Jordan LoveGetty Images
He also believes the Jets would return an extra pick as a backup in the scenario where Rodgers retires after 2023, playing only one season with the Jets.