With Friday night marking the moment that the clock strikes 12 on a trade of Aaron Rodgers from the Packers to the Jets, it makes sense for the two teams to resume their communications.
They reportedly have.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the two teams “recently re-engaged” on potential Rodgers talks.
“A deal is not imminent, but the two sides are at least talking -- with hopes a deal can (finally) be done this week,” Rapoport tweeted.
Friday was always the target. At the latest, the deal happens when the Jets are on the clock with consecutive selections in round two.
The one thing the two teams don’t disagree on is the first piece of the multi-pick package: a second-round pick in 2023.The sticking point has become the compensation for 2024, and the protection for the Jets in 2025, if Rodgers doesn’t play beyond 2023.
Since the Packers seem to be determined to get a first-round pick in 2024, we recently suggested a formula that would start with a first-round pick and then drop if certain conditions are or aren’t met. If, for example, the Jets don’t win a playoff game, it drops. Or if, for example, Rodgers retires before April 1, 2024, it drops.
That’s a relatively meaningless twist on a formula that starts low and go up. By starting high, the Packers would able to puff their chests out a bit, with the message being sent to casual fans who won’t follow the various nooks and crannies of the sport that Green Bay got what it wanted, even if a year from now it doesn’t.
The best news from this not-unexpected news is that, hopefully, it will kill the vacuum-filling noise regarding the possibility of Rodgers being traded not to the Jets but to the 49ers. Again, that’s not happening unless and until Rodgers changes his “intention” to play for the Jets.
Currently, it appears that his intention is on the verge of finally becoming a reality.