Something is holding up Aaron Rodgers’ supposedly imminent trade from the Packers to the Jets, but Green Bay president Mark Murphy isn’t offering any answers.
‘I can’t really get into that,’ Murphy told reporters Tuesday. ‘I know [Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst] and [Jets general manager Joe Douglas] have been talking.’
Murphy’s statement is hardly a revelation. Discussions between the Jets’ Douglas and Packers’ Gutekunst have been ongoing for weeks since Rodgers made his intention to play for New York clear last month.
Neither the Packers nor the Jets have put any firm deadline on negotiations ahead of the draft and Douglas recently reassured fans that Rodgers will be playing in green next season.
‘He’s gonna be here’, Douglas told WFAN host and former Jets quarterback, Boomer Esiason.
Something is holding up Aaron Rodgers’ supposedly imminent trade from the Packers to the Jets, but Green Bay president Mark Murphy isn’t offering any answers
From the Packers’ perspective, trading Rodgers would free up much-needed cap space to fill out Green Bay’s roster around new starting quarterback, Jordan Love.
Gutekunst previously said the Packers are not insisting on the Jets’ No. 13 overall selection in the first round of the NFL Draft. However, Green Bay is believed to be looking for multiple draft picks from New York.
‘Again, that’s something Brian is working on,’ Murphy said. ‘I’ve been actively involved. There’s really nothing more to say.’
Murphy is preparing for a five-day ‘tailgate tour’ of Wisconsin to promote the team.
‘I do anticipate quite a few questions [about Rodgers on the tour] and I anticipate saying that there is no update,’ Murphy added. ‘It is interesting, 15 years ago, similar situation — which by the way was my very first Tailgate Tour.’
Murphy was referencing the Brett Favre trade in 2008, when the Packers sent the future Hall of Famer to the Jets for a conditional fourth-round pick.
Rodgers took over as the Packers’ starting quarterback after the trade before going on to win a Super Bowl and four MVP awards with Green Bay.
‘Well, I’m really glad that Aaron Rodgers turned out to be such a good quarterback and I’m hopeful that Jordan Love turns out to be a similar quarterback,’ Murphy said before turning toward the bus. ‘And with that, I’ll leave.’
Jets GM Joe Douglas recently reassured fans that Rodgers will be playing in green next season
Brian Gutekunst previously said the Packers are not insisting on the Jets’ No. 13 overall pick
Rodgers, 39, signed a three-year, $150.815 million contract extension in March 2022. He is set to make $59.5 million in 2023.However, due to his salary structure, he would only count for $15.8 million against his Jets’ salary cap in 2023 and $32.5 million for 2024, according to ESPN.
The Packers, meanwhile, would still carry $40.3 million from Rodgers’ 2023 salary on their books in the event he does get traded. That’s a whopping 18 percent of the $224.8 million NFL salary cap for this year.
Rodgers was named league MVP in 2011, 2014, 2020 and 2021, but is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022. He completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as the Packers (8-9) missed the playoffs.
There are familiar faces waiting for him in New York. The Jets signed former Packers receiver Allen Lazard to a reported four-year, $44 million deal last month, and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett held the same position in Green Bay from 2019-21.
In March, Rodgers said he intended to play for the Jets in 2023, and the two teams have been negotiating ever since.
‘The Packers would like to move on. They’ve let me know that in so many words, they’ve let other people know that in direct words,’ Rodgers said during a March 15 appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’
‘And because I still have that fire and I want to play, I’d like to play in New York. It’s just a matter of getting that done at this point.’
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