Yesterday, Aaron Rodgers was officially traded from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets after 18 seasons. The details of the trade are that Rodgers, the Packers 2023 first-round pick, and 2023 fifth-round pick are going to the Jets in exchange for the Jets 2023 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2023 sixth-round pick, and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that could become a first. As the dust begins to settle, I picked out some winners and losers from this deal.
Winners
Aaron Rodgers
There was no way that Rodgers would be wearing a Packers uniform and he gave the illusion that he’d be fine retiring. I don’t think he wanted to retire because he clearly has more in the tank and used that as leverage. He now gets to go to a team with a fiery head coach and an immaculate young core of weapons. He’ll be treated like the weirdo king that he perceives himself to be in New York and he will love that. If anyone is the big winner of this trade, it’s the man who the trade was built around.
Jets Offensive Skills Players
The Jets have a treasure trove of weapons, but weren’t able to reach their full potential with either Mike White or Zach Wilson throwing them the ball. Not only is their skill position talented, it’s very young. At running back, they’ve got Breece Hall and Michael Carter who both thrive as receiving backs. Aaron Jones saw the benefits of having Rodgers as he became on of the leagues most notorious pass catching backs over the past few seasons.
Split out wide at receiver they’ve got Allen Lazard (one of Rodgers favorite targets in Green Bay), Garrett Wilson, and Corey Davis. Each of them are elite athletes who need a good quarterback to excel. With the mass exodus from Green Bay over the past two seasons of Robert Tonyan, Davante Adams, and Randall Cobb, there wasn’t really anyone for Rodgers to throw to anyway. If I was a Jets wideout, I’d be fired up for this move.
Jordan Love
If Aaron Rodgers is the trade’s biggest winner, Jordan Love is right behind him. He’s sat behind Rogers for two seasons and has only thrown 83 total passes. Now, he gets to be the man running the show. While this is awesome that Love gets his chance, he will be under a magnifying glass from Packers fans. The same way Pats fans ran Cam Newton out of town and are currently running Mac Jones out of town, Love could be in the same spot. What benefits him is that Packers fans were seemingly fed up with Rodgers. They didn’t love the “will he” or “won’t he” storyline and earlier this offseason, Love became their guy.
Joe Douglas
I have to applaud Joe Douglas. He put it all on the table and stayed persistent in the pursuit of Aaron Rodgers. Personally, I thought that the deal was dead when the media went cold on it. While I was thinking that, Joe Douglas was hard at work in landing a legendary quarterback. His tact as a negotiator was put on display and he’s successfully assembled a team that’s ready to take over the AFC. Bravo, Joe Douglas. Bravo.
Tim Boyle
This might be the last name you expected to see here, but here we are. Boyle, a Xavier High School alum (shoutout CT), was Rodgers’ backup between 2018-2020 and now they’re back together. After two seasons between the Bears and Lions, the New York Jets signed Boyle to a 1 year, 1.15 million dollar deal. He’s backing up Rodgers again, but the two of them have a great relationship. The two were known to mess with one another at their practices back in Green Bay and now their antics are returning.
Losers
Zach Wilson
Uber’s always hiring. It’s cool to see how Wilson idolizes Rodgers, but I don’t think Wilson will ever start in the league again. Once Rodgers is done in two to three years, the Jets will get someone else to be their starting quarterback. Some people will look at the Rodgers trade as one that’ll help Wilson learn and develop. I just see this as a death sentence for Wilsons career and he’s currently looking for a grave plot. “Here Lies The Career of Zach Wilson.”
NFL Conspiracy Theorists
With the news of this trade, the NFL fans who wear tinfoil hats were initially thrilled. They saw Rodgers as the second coming of Favre. Favre notably spent 16 years in Green Bay before signing with the Jets. A lot of fans who think the league is scripted think that this is a sneaky conspiracy theory. Where they’re sadly mistaken is that Favre played for the Falcons for a season. I’m sorry to burst your bubble conspiracy theorists, but we have no conspiracy afoot.
Packers Fans
I mentioned with Love how Packers fans were getting fed up with Rodgers and they’re happy this saga has concluded. However, it’s not going to be easy moving on from Rodgers. He is their franchise’s GOAT. It’s never easy to lose a GOAT, especially seeing him go to another team. It’s not like Rodgers retired, he wanted to keep playing, just not in Green Bay. The Packers are going to have to rebuild following multiple losses of players the past few seasons and it starts this draft.
As a Vikings fan, this makes me happy. I despise the Packers and their fans even more. It’ll bring me great pleasure seeing them grovel and spin storylines during a losing season. With the loss of Rodgers and how much Detroit, Minnesota, and Chicago have improved, I’m ready to say that the Packers are the worst team in the NFC North. I guess Packers fans can look forward to one thing. That’s a top five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
