The definition of a blockbuster trade is the transaction that sent Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets. It was a franchise-changing move that gives the fans a lot of hope for the next season.
Rodgers has been a bit more involved than usual during this part of the season. He has spent time with his new wide receivers, although the front office made sure to add some pieces he knows very well like Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb.
Having a quarterback that was named the NFL MVP four times makes them Super Bowl contenders. It is a clear upgrade from former second overall pick Zach Wilson. However, they also had backup plans in case the future Hall of Famer didn’t leave his previous team.
New York were reportedly interested in three top quarterbacks
There was no doubt that the Jets were going to need to replace Wilson to be competitive. That’s why every option was on the table, but there are only a few impactful quarterbacks that may be available for trade or in free agency. Rodgers was one of those three players, though it wasn’t easy to imagine the Packers letting him go a couple of months ago. So naturally other names emerged.
New York studied Lamar Jackson and Matthew Stafford before they traded for Rodgers, according to Connor Hughes of SNY. These were the three signal-callers tagged as Tier 1, per that report. Jackson was seen as too expensive considering it would also involve sending multiple first-round picks to the Baltimore Ravens.
In that context, Stafford was viewed as a very viable candidate. It was rumored that the Los Angeles Rams were going to start a full rebuild that had him as a potential trade asset, although the franchise decided to keep the quarterback that helped them win the Super Bowl in the 2021 season.