The NFL was caught by surprise when Aaron Rodgers confirmed his desire to play for the New York Jets. Also, the Green Bay Packers were already decided to move on from the quarterback. That’s why it’s somewhat curious that the teams haven’t reached an agreement.
Rodgers took a long time to decide whether he was going to continue playing professionally or if he was retiring. The four-day darkness retreat he went into to make up his mind added extra suspense to the situation.
In the end, his thoughts shifted to remain as a starting quarterback in the league. But the hypothetical outcome of a trade turned from just rumors to a real thing. The question that has not been answered is why teams haven’t agreed on a deal.
Aaron Rodgers trade: Why has the quarterback not been dealt?
Age is something that plays a role in the negotiation since Rodgers is 39 years old. He also said that he was 90% sure he was going to retire before entering the darkness retreat, so that’s definitely a factor that New York must take into account. The asking price of Green Bay has been reduced, although there are still some differences to solve.
The reason why the Jets and the Packers haven’t finalized a deal is a potential retirement of Rodgers after just one season. Given the quarterback admitted how close he was from hanging up the cleats, his likely new team wants some protection in that case.
The Jets wants the Packers to give back some draft compensation if Rodgers doesn’t play in 2024, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. Something that also has them apart is that New York wants the quality of any future pick to be behind conditions like team performance, per Robinson. Neither seem to be in a hurry to get a deal done, so fans may still have to continue waiting for a resolution.