Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made his intentions clear this off-season: he has seen all he has wanted to see from the Green Bay Packers. He’s ready to move onto the greener pasture (and depleted quarterback room) that is the New York Jets. The New York Jets want the exact same thing.
However, a trade package to the Jets is still in the works for the long-time superstar QB Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Unfortunately, for both sides, the nuts and bolts of the deal are…complicated. There are many issues holding up continued trade negotiations between the two teams, but one word may summarize all of it: leverage.
There’s zero rush to move forward any faster than a snail’s pace; that may even be considered a little too casual for a snail.
On the Jet’s side, Aaron Rodgers comes with a lot of risks. First off, he’s been on record saying he considered retirement recently. This could mean that, for the loss of potential draft picks (first-round draft pick, 13th overall so far) and cap space, they could be in for only one season of basking in the glory of Aaron Rodgers’ prowess before he decides to hang it up for good. This would leave the franchise with a whole new host of problems. However, the incentive to quickly get a deal done is, so the Jets no longer have to fret over the headache that has been their quarterback position.
Meanwhile, on the Packer’s side, they’ve made glowing remarks about the potential substitute for Rodgers, Jordan Love; but making the switch comes at a price. Besides the clear understanding that Rodgers has zero interest in sticking around in Green Bay, there’s also the issue of money: Rodger’s contract counts as $31.6 million on the salary cap. Given that this number will increase to $40.3 million if a trade happens before June 1st, there’s an incentive for the Packers to consider meandering until after this deadline, so they can spread this financial blow across two seasons; and put some new weapons around the veteran quarterback.
Given these issues (and many more surrounding the deal, including the lack of a Packers owner to push for a resolution), experts speculate that this stalemate could last until even the date of the first regular season game.
