"There's no way that the Jets can ever back out"- NFL analyst breaks down why Packers have leverage in Aaron Rodgers trade
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still a member of the Green Bay Packers, nearly a month after he declared that he planned to play for the New York Jets this upcoming season.
On "Good Morning Football" on Tuesday morning, NFL Insider Scott Pioloi was asked by Colleen Wolfe who he believes has more leverage in the impending trade negotiations.
Pioli said that he believes that the Green Bay Packers have the most leverage in the situation. He said that once the quarterback went on "The Pat McAfee Show" and stated his intentions and that he was ready to move on from Green Bay, the Packers have been in the driver's seat.
"I got to tell you, I think the person with the or the group people with the most leverage right now is the Green Bay Packers. And that happened during Aaron Rodgers, State of the Union address on the Pat McAfee show. He shifted everything into the hands of the Packers because he told the world he wasn't going to be there and he didn't want to be there.
"The Jets have said publicly they want him. They're going to take him. Everywhere you turn here, it looks like he's going. The Packers are sitting there every time someone says something and they're thinking, okay, these two twos might be great, but I might be able to get more."
Who has the upper hand? The Packers, The Jets, OR Aaron Rodgers??
@scottpioli51 weighs in https://t.co/O60ByOr4hn
Piolo continued by saying that everyone knows that Aaron Rodgers no longer wants to play for the Green Bay Packers. And that the Packers know that they could possibly settle for two second-round draft picks for the 39-year-old quarterback. But the longer it goes on they expect the Jets to eventually fold and get the deal done.
"So to me, the player knows he's not going back. The team knows that they're not going to have to take him back. And there's no way that the Jets can ever back out of this deal. The way things have been talked about publicly, the way the Jets fan bases, the way the city of New York is right now about Aaron Rodgers. There's absolutely no turning back. So the leverage sits in the hands of the Packers right now."
Piolo also said that the New York Jets are well aware that they need to get this trade complete because there is no way they can turn back now.
Packers president refuses to answer questions regarding Aaron Rodgers trade
Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy was doing his annual bus tour around Wisconsin this week as part of a promotion for the team. On Tuesday, Murphy was asked if there was any update to the trade negotiations for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Murphy said that he wasn't allowed to comment on the matter, but that he does know that Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas will continue to talk.
"I can't really get into that," Murphy said Tuesday. "I know Brian and Joe have been talking."
Packers president Mark Murphy before leaving for the team’s annual bus tour of Wisconsin wouldn’t say whether he considers the ball to be in their court or in the Jets’ court when it comes to finishing the Aaron Rodgers trade.
That and more here: https://t.co/JnMEUifyqk
Murphy also wouldn't get into which team had the upper hand in the negotiations.