Why the Packers came out as bigger winners in Aaron Rodgers trade

After multiple months of speculation surrounding Aaron Rodgers, the Packers, and Jets have finally agreed on a deal to send the four-time MVP to New York.

Adam Schefter of ESPN broke the news on Monday afternoon during his appearance on NFL Live.

Green Bay Packers came out big winners in Aaron Rodgers trade

New York can finally go into a season with stability at the quarterback position, giving this team a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. Meanwhile, Green Bay got out of a situation that had been giving them headaches for the last few years, starting a new era with Jordan Love.

This trade can be viewed as a win-win, and the Jets will feel so happy that this deal happened, but the Packers are the true winners in this trade.

It seems that the Packers were able to out-leverage the Jets in this deal. New York simply did not have other avenues. It was either Aaron Rodgers or Zach Wilson. While the Packers definitely preferred to get some value in return for Rodgers (which they did), it was well-documented that Green Bay was done with Rodgers.

Considering that the market for Rodgers was solely the Jets and no one else, the trade compensation in return was incredible for the Packers. Moving up two spots in the 2023 draft may seem minuscule, but that jump up to the 13th pick may allow the Packers to grab a player that they really want. The player that comes to mind is Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The former Ohio State wide receiver has a chance of slipping outside the top 10, and it would be a great addition for Love and the Packers’ offense. In addition, the Packers jump the Patriots, who could easily be in the receiver market.

Grabbing an early second-round pick is also a major win from a Packers’ perspective. Now, Green Bay has two second-round picks, 42nd and 45th overall, giving the Packers an opportunity to package the picks together to trade up or use both picks on players that should be able to step in and help the team right away.

The plethora of picks allows Green Bay to give Love as much help as possible heading into his first season as a starter in the NFL.

To cap everything off, the Packers were able to sneak in a pick in 2024 that will most likely be a first-round selection. It was thought that if the Packers received a conditional pick in 2024, it would have to be performance-based. However, Rodgers just needs to play 65% of the plays in 2023 for the Jets. Barring a significant injury, the 39-year-old quarterback should be able to reach that threshold. Green Bay will most likely have two first-round picks in 2024.

Rodgers has flirted with retirement the last few years, and maybe he gave the Jets reassurances that he will play for at least two more seasons. But giving up a likely first-round pick in 2024 is quite risky for a nearly 40-year-old quarterback that gives no heads up of his plans to his respective team, as we have seen recently.

Receiving two first-round picks for an aging quarterback that had a non-existent market outside of the Jets, is something that the Packers’ front office and fans should feel ecstatic about.

New York has its answer at quarterback for at least 2023, but the Packers fleeced the Jets in the process.