News of Aaron Rodgers, who has been agreed on a trade, dropped at approximately 4:15 p.m. ET on Monday. The Jets coaches were at a draft meeting, oblivious to the hype going around them. As the news flows – this is Rodgers truly It will be a jet – it surprised many of them. Description of several members of the coaching staff’s the athlete A sense of disbelief. Everyone in the room knew Rodgers would eventually be the quarterback — they were planning for such an outcome even before Rodgers announced on “The Pat McAfee Show” last month what he wanted.
But after weeks and weeks of waiting, not many knew when it would finally happen. during the draft? After June 1? In training camp?
It happened on Monday. Everyone cheered up. And then, they refocus.
They all know what this means. There’s a goal on the back of the New York Jets. It’s the talk of the NFL, an odd sentiment for an organization associated with the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabers for the longest drought — 12 seasons — in the four big professional sports. The goal has gone beyond just getting back into the playoffs. Now it is about the win Super Bowl. Everyone important in the Jets organization believes that Rodgers’ arrival puts them in a position to do just that.
This is also why all the panic about how much the Jets traded to get Rodgers is so pointless and misplaced. Trade details: The Jets traded their 13th pick this year, a second-round pick, a sixth-round pick and a conditional 2024 second-round pick who becomes the first if Rodgers plays at least 65 percent of the picks in 2023. The Jets regained Rodgers, the No. 15 pick and a round Fifth.
That last part is all that really matters: They got Rodgers.
The Packers may have won the game of “chicken” they were playing with the Jets, to see who would bow to demands in negotiations prior to the NFL Draft. The Jets wanted protection if Rodgers didn’t play after 2024 and the Packers wanted an unconditional first-round pick next year. In the end, the Packers won it. Barring disaster, Rodgers will almost certainly meet the conditions to convert this pick in 2024 from second to first.
Perhaps the Packers “won” the deal in terms of the compensation they got for the quarterback who just two months ago planned to retire. But this does not mean airplanes Lost Deal too.
The Jets went into this season knowing all the risks that came with pursuing Rodgers, the least of which was the possibility of avoiding options like Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo and coming up empty-handed if he decided to retire this season. But they’ve stuck to their guns, because the Jets believe they’ve got the version of Rodgers who won two MVP awards in a row (2020-2021) and who still has the potential to lead an organization that’s been a laughing stock for most of the past decade on the Promised Land.
One of the best quarterbacks ever – and when healthy, still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL – required to come to the planes. All together, the Gates decided, it was worth the risk to possibly get Rodgers for just one season.
And I think it’s hard to argue with that mentality.
The Jets will tackle 2024 in 2024 — and many in the organization believe it’ll be around for more than one season, too. If Rodgers stays healthy this season, the Jets will be a playoff contender. Nothing is certain in a tough AFC tournament, but it would obviously be disappointing if they didn’t make the playoffs. But even if they don’t, that doesn’t mean it was the wrong move — or even that Jets general manager Joe Douglas gave up too much. The goal is to win the Super Bowl. It’s hard to do without a good quarterback – and the Jets have a list to win right now. Zack Wilson isn’t going to cut it anymore. Carr has only played in one playoff game. Garoppolo can’t stay healthy.
So, the Jets went and got one of the best companies that’s ever done it.
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Maybe Rodgers will play in 2024, maybe he won’t. This is a problem next season. It’s so far away that it’s not even worth thinking about. What may be What happens after 2023 should not be taken into account in evaluating this trade, at least not yet.
This is around 2023.
If you want to criticize the planes, criticize them for the Wilson disaster. They wouldn’t be “overpaying” Rodgers if Wilson’s selection hadn’t failed spectacularly. It could cost Douglas and/or head coach Robert Salih their jobs if this season is not deemed a success for Rodgers.
But to turn around two years after drafting a quarterback already considered one of the biggest busts in recent memory – and getting Rodgers as a replacement?
This is worth celebrating, which many in the organization did on Monday. The work begins now, to surround Rodgers with a team worthy of a Super Bowl bid, even if it ends up being his last.
This is about 2023. You don’t have to worry about 2024 until 2024. Not for an organization that has been mired in mediocrity for so long.
Right now, the planes made the right move. They’ve got Aaron Rodgers.
Even if it was done once, it would be fun at least.
(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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