Aaron Rodgers has finally been traded to the Jets, so let’s grade the deal for both New York and the Packers with the blockbuster finally done.
Aaron Rodgers has been traded. Now we can finally move on with our lives.
On Monday to start the week of the 2023 NFL Draft and with the proverbial deadline looming, the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets finally reached an agreement to send the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback to the Big Apple. The news was reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
We’ve been expecting this trade for months now but the big question — and holdup in getting the deal done — was the compensation returning to Green Bay for Aaron Rodgers. But now that that’s been settled, let’s take a look at all of the Aaron Rodgers trade details before grading the trade for the Packers and Jets.
Aaron Rodgers trade details: Packers get their way with the Jets
Here’s a look at the full details of the trade, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter:
Packers Get
2023 First-Round Pick (13)
2023 Second-Round Pick (42)
2023 Sixth-Round Pick (207)
Conditional 2024 Second-Round Pick
Jets Get
QB Aaron Rodgers
2023 First-Round Pick (15)
2023 Fifth-Round Pick (170)
This deal ultimately looks like what had been discussed often as the potential package. As for the conditions on the 2024 second-rounder going to Green Bay, it will become a first-round pick if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the plays for the Jets in the 2023 season.
Aaron Rodgers trade grade for Jets: New York opens their Super Bowl window
For the Jets, they undoubtedly conceded to a great deal of what Green Bay wanted in this trade. The Packers wanted an early pick next year but the Jets wanted protections. Those protections, however, are highly favorable for Green Bay as they pertain to 2023, not 2024. More importantly, they also gave up this year’s second-rounder and swapped first-round picks as well.
And despite all of this, it still isn’t an outright “bad trade” for the Jets — far from it actually. This team went all-in on Rodgers this offseason and had no viable backup plan if they didn’t pull off this deal. That takes away a ton of leverage at the negotiating table, but they got the trade done and now have a roster and quarterback that should make them legitimate Super Bowl favorites.
Jets Trade Grade: B-
Aaron Rodgers trade grade for Packers: Green Bay starts its new era
It’s a massive win for Green Bay. Throughout all of last season, it felt as if the Aaron Rodgers era had already fully run its course and the fact that the team missed the playoffs is a result of that. So they are now handing the keys to Jordan Love and hitting the reset button that they’ve needed to for quite some time.
More importantly, though, the Packers come out of this trade as the winners. They hit that reset button but get to do so with a bevy of draft capital now that includes a Top 13 pick, two second-round picks, and a full overall draft haul otherwise, including, at worst, a second-rounder in next year’s draft. It was a monster deal and one that could pay off hugely for the Pack in the long run, especially as they hope to get Love off on the right foot.
Packers Trade Grade: A
