Winners and Losers of Aaron Rodgers Trade to the Jets

Aaron Rodgers has finally been traded. The four-time NFL MVP is no longer a member of the Green Bay Packers, as the franchise has moved him to the New York Jets in exchange for a slew of draft picks.

Officially, the Packers are sending Rodgers, the 15th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and a fifth-rounder (No. 170), to the Jets in exchange for the 13th pick, a second-rounder (No. 42), a sixth-rounder (No. 207) and a conditional 2024 second-rounder that can become a first-rounder if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the Jets’ snaps in 2023.

It’s a massive deal. Here’s a look at the winners and losers of the trade.

Rodgers got what he’s seemingly wanted for a few years: he got the hell out of Green Bay. Things have been shaky since the Packers spent a first-round pick on quarterback Jordan Love during the 2020 NFL Draft. Rodgers responded by winning back-to-back MVPs — almost out of spite — but the ground never seemed firm after Love was brought in.

Now he’ll go to the Jets, a young team with some talent and his former offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, running things along with his former top target, Allen Lazard on the perimeter. He’ll finally have a chance to truly prove the Packers wrong for betting on Love over him.

Love has been Rodgers’ backup for three seasons since being drafted in 2020. With the four-time MVP gone, he’ll have a chance to prove himself. But, uh, have fun following a legend, buddy. It’s the same path Rodgers trod 15 years ago when replacing Brett Favre. It worked out for him, but these scenarios almost always end in disaster for the young quarterback.

Love is 24 years old and has incredible physical gifts. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds with some wheels, he has prototypical tools for a modern NFL quarterback. He’s seen action in 10 regular season games, and has completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 606 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Now he’ll take the reins of arguably the NFL’s most storied franchise. Good luck, kid.

After two years of having to catch passes from Zach Wilson, this will be quite the change for New York’s receiving corps. Even in the diminished state we saw from him in 2022, Rodgers is still worlds better than Wilson will ever be. Lazard, Garrett Wilson, Mecole Hardman, Corey Davis and Denzel Mims have to be thanking the football gods right about now.

The Packers were essentially forced into trading arguably the greatest player in their franchise’s history. No matter how this turns out, it’s a horrible look. Yes, it finally puts an bow on the endless Rodgers soap opera, but the roster currently looks like a mess without Rodgers holding things together. Everything now falls on Love’s shoulders and he’s essentially a rookie quarterback.

Welcome to the hot seat, Matt LaFleur. The Packers’ head coach never seemed to get on the same page with his star quarterback and his decision-making may have cost Green Bay a spot in Super Bowl LV. There is plenty of reason to be skeptical about his ability to win without an all-time great quarterback under center. The Packers were 7-10 in 2022. If they fall off a cliff this season, LaFleur isn’t likely to be around long.

We knew the Jets had all but moved on from Zach Wilson, but now they’ve completely moved on from him. Wilson was the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and never lived up to his draft position. He was wildly inconsistent, brought plenty of off-field drama and, despite a big arm, just didn’t improve. The Jets will likely attempt to trade him, but given what we’ve seen on the field and off there’s a high chance there won’t be any takers.