The New York Jets got fleeced in the Aaron Rodgers trade

On Monday, news broke that the New York Jets had traded for four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, but they gave up way too much for the signal caller.  Sure, the Jets had to make a move for him, but man, what a disaster of a trade for the Jets.

The four-time MVP communicated his desire to play for the New York Jets on the Pat McAfee show much earlier in the offseason, and the trade just now got done.  The Jets and Aaron Rodgers had all the leverage here, as Rodgers clearly wanted to continue playing.

Not only that, the Jets seemed to be the only team who wanted his services and the Packers clearly wanted to give Jordan Love a chance to play.

Green Bay had virtually no leverage here, and yet they still got an amazing haul for the soon to be 40 year old.

Here is the full trade compensation:

Let me get this straight for a second.

The Green Bay Packers were able to get a 2nd round pick, a conditional 2nd rounder that will very likely turn into a first, and a 6th?

Getting a 1st and a 2nd round pick back for Rodgers is highway robbery by Brian Gutekunst for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, Aaron Rodgers turns 40 years old this year.  That’s old, and he began to show his age in the 2022 season.  His age has to be a huge concern as the drop-off we saw in Rodgers’ play in 2022 was evident.

Also, there is no guarantee that Rodgers plays for more than a year.  The conditional 2nd round pick could turn into a first, but all Rodgers has to do is play 65% of snaps.  If the Jets were smart, they would have negotiated a deal where that 2nd round pick only turns into a first if Rodgers comes back for a second year.

So in all likelihood, the Jets are giving up a 1, 2, and a 6 for one year of a 40-year-old QB who was 90% leaning towards retirement during the offseason.  Furthermore, and this is not the fault of Joe Douglas, but the AFC is absolutely loaded, and the AFC East is quite good as well.  I’m not sure the New York Jets finish better than third place in the division this year, even with Rodgers.

The Bills are a well-oiled machine and the Dolphins added a ton of talent to their roster this offseason.  I don’t see how the New York Jets didn’t get fleeced here unless they make a deep playoff run.