We went from the Aaron Rodgers Watch to the Aaron Rodgers Wait.
Rodgers told the world on Wednesday’s “The Pat McAfee Show” that he “intends” to play for the Jets.
The only issue now is if and when the Jets and Packers can complete a mutually agreed-upon trade to get Rodgers green-and-white.
Both sides are negotiating, but there seems to be a chasm in what they think Rodgers should be traded.
Pro Football Talk reported that the Packers are looking for the Jets’ first-round pick this year (No. 13 overall) and also something in 2025 if Rodgers plays in 2024.
There is no deadline in sight for this exchange to materialize. Sometimes a player has a bonus trigger date in their contract that gets things done, but the way Rodgers’ contract is structured, the Packers can wait.
Most of Rodgers’ salary can be converted into an option bonus for 2023, but it is not due until September.
If the Packers want draft picks this year, then the April 27 draft becomes a deadline.
For the Jets, their offseason program begins on April 17, and they surely want Rodgers to be able to get a playbook and start working with his new coaches and teammates.
This is all the doomsday scenario. The Jets and Packers are more likely to reach an agreement much sooner than that.
There have been ongoing conversations since Rodgers told the Jets he wanted to join the team last Friday. At some point, a compromise will be reached so both teams can move on.
Finding the right price for Rodgers is tricky because it’s such an unusual trade.
We’ve seen teams like the Lions and Seahawks trade franchise quarterbacks for huge packages in recent years.
The Seahawks got two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick and three players in exchange for Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick.
The Lions got two first-round picks, a third-round pick and Jared Goff in exchange for Matthew Stafford.
But Rodgers is 39. Stafford and Wilson were only 33 years old.
Rodgers also owes nearly $60 million this season, making the Jets less likely to give up more for him.
There is an interesting debate about which team has influence.
The argument that the Packers have leverage is that the Jets have no other options at quarterback.
They’re not going back to Zach Wilson, and there’s nowhere to go at this point.
With Rodgers publicly declaring his desire to play for the Jets this week, one gets the feeling that Jets owner Woody Johnson might be restless waiting for that to happen and tell general manager Joe Douglas to make a move.
On the other hand, the pressure on the Packers is that they’ve been clear about their desire to leave Rodgers and hand things over to Jordan Love.
No other team has shown serious interest in acquiring Rodgers, and it’s not like the Packers can now say they want to take him on.
As this drags on, there could also be pressure on the Packers to do the right thing by Rodgers, who delivered them a Super Bowl and is one of the greatest players in franchise history. franchise.
A prolonged public battle is not going to play well in Green Bay.
Right now, it’s a staring contest between the Jets and the Packers.
Until someone blinks, all we can do is wait.