Aaron Rodgers trade rumors: Insider lays out next steps for Packers QB after darkness retreat
Aaron Rodgers has reportedly emerged from his infamous darkness retreat and is apparently more prepared to make some major decisions about his future. It's unclear what he plans on doing for the upcoming 2023 NFL season, but it appears that all of his options are on the table. This includes returning to the Green Bay Packers for another season, requesting to be traded, or possibly retiring.
NFL Insider Dianna Russini recently appeared on an episode of "Get Up" to give an update on this complicated situation. She explained what the next steps are in the process of determining what will happen with Aaron Rodgers moving forward.
"I was told that a meeting is supposed to happen with the Packers and Aaron Rodgers. And if the Packers allow, or if Aaron Rodgers says, 'Yes, I want to be traded,' then the Packers will then allow Aaron Rodgers to talk to the teams that he perhaps is interested in, or the teams that are interested in trading for him. So this all comes down to what Aaron Rodgers wants to do."
It sounds like the ball is in Rodgers' court and the Packers are waiting to hear from him about what he wants to do. It seems like they are open to the idea of exploring trade options if that's what he prefers.
If Rodgers is in fact put on the trade block, several teams would be interested in acquiring him. One of those teams is the New York Jets, who are openly and actively shopping around for a veteran quarterback to replace Zach Wilson.
Are New York Jets the best landing spot for Aaron Rodgers?
Dianna Russini outlined what makes the Jets a legitimate option for a veteran quarterback like Rodgers ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
"There's a lot of tentacles on this New York Jets staff with all of these different veteran quarterbacks. And the Jets, the way they're selling this, and it's not even, I think 'sell' is actually an aggressive word because they don't have to do much selling. All they have to do is show their roster and show how this team has been built by Joe Douglas over the last few seasons."
The "tentacle" Dianna is referring to in relation to Rodgers is the fact that the Jets recently hired Nathaniel Hackett to take over as their offensive coordinator. He previously served as offensive coordinator for the Packers with Rodgers, before spending the 2022 NFL season as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Hiring Hackett could be one of the things that attracts Rodgers to the Jets. Rodgers was named the NFL MVP for two consecutive seasons in 2020 and 2021. Hackett was his offensive coordinator for each of those campaigns. The two have proven chemistry together and could potentially try to reconnect in New York.
The Jets also currently have a loaded roster filled with young talent. Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall were two of the top rookies during the 2022 NFL season. They have plenty of other promising offensive players as well, so Rodgers would have some legitimate weapons to work with. If he does look for a trade this year, the Jets make sense as a landing spot for several reasons.