Global Courant 2023-04-25 09:29:33
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The associated press
Dennis Waszak Jr.
Published April 25, 2023 • Read 6 minutes
FILE – Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers scrambles during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, November 6, 2022, in Detroit. Rodgers leaves his brilliant legacy in Green Bay and heads for the bright lights – and huge expectations – of the Big Apple. The New York Jets reached a deal Monday, April 24, 2023 to acquire the four-time NFL MVP from the Packers, according to a person with expertise in the field. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams have not officially announced the deal. Photo by Paul Sancya /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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After six weeks of waiting, Aaron Rodgers leaves his brilliant legacy behind in Green Bay and heads for the bright lights – and huge expectations – of the Big Apple.
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The New York Jets reached an agreement Monday to acquire the four-time NFL MVP from the Packers, according to a person with expertise in the field. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams had not officially announced the deal.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at a press conference about the preliminary draft that the deal is not yet finalized, but should be finalized before the draft begins Thursday.
“We expected it to happen very soon, hopefully soon,” Gutekunst said. “A lot has been agreed. Some things to go through.
According to another person with knowledge, the Jets will receive Rodgers, the number 15 overall pick and a fifth-rounder this year from the Packers. In return, Green Bay gets the 13th overall selection, a second-rounder (No. 42) and a sixth-rounder this year and a conditional second-round pick in 2024 who can become a first-rounder if Rodgers gets 65% of the plays plays for New York this season.
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ESPN first reported the agreement on terms between the teams on a deal.
Rodgers, 39, spent a few days in February reflecting on his life and playing future during an isolation retreat in Oregon – as fans and reporters speculated about what he would decide.
He emerged and deliberated some more before deciding on March 10 that he intended to play again – and for the Jets. Rodgers made his intentions official during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube and Sirius XM on March 15. That came after New York sent a contingent including owner Woody Johnson, coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas to Rodgers’ Southern California home in early March.
And then he and the sports world waited – and waited – for the Packers and Jets to finally strike a deal.
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“We’ve been working on this for a while,” Gutekunst said. “To get past the draft, I think it would have been difficult for both teams.”
Several weeks of negotiations seemed to stall at times, with fans – and the teams – wondering when and if the trade would be finalized.
“We’re worried,” Johnson told reporters at the league’s annual meetings on March 28. “I think looking ahead, we’re optimistic. But we have a plan, so we’re willing to stick to our plan. And I don’t think anyone is hyperventilating right now.”
It took a while, but eventually the parties agreed on a fee. And the deal puts the one-time Super Bowl champ in New York after Zach Wilson, the 2021 No. 2 overall roster, struggled immensely in his first two seasons.
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New York was 7-10 last season, finishing on a six-game losing streak that extended the NFL’s longest active playoff drought to a franchise-record 12 consecutive years.
With the Jets, Rodgers reunites with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to try to jump-start an offense that has been among the NFL’s worst in the last four years under coordinator Mike LaFleur, the younger brother of Matt, Rodgers’ coach at Green Bay.
Rodgers joins some promising young playmakers on offense, including wide receiver Garrett Wilson, the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and running back Breece Hall.
“There are many reasons why the Jets are attractive,” Rodgers said during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “But there’s one coach who has meant as much to me as any other coach I’ve ever had. And he happens to be the coordinator there.”
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Saleh acknowledged a few times this offseason that the Jets were looking for an experienced quarterback to add to a team with a top-five defense. And Johnson said he was “definitely” on board with paying an established signal caller — “the missing piece,” he called it — if Douglas could get him.
They eventually got one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Rodgers said shortly after the end of the season that he was making a decision about whether to return to the Packers for a 19th season, retire or request a trade. Meanwhile, the Jets explored a few quarterback options, including meeting free agent Derek Carr at their facility and then rejoining the NFL club in Indianapolis.
But after Carr agreed to the terms to sign with New Orleans, it became even clearer that New York would go all in on Rodgers – as long as he wanted to play there.
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It is reminiscent of the stunning transaction the Jets made in 2008 when they acquired Brett Favre – who also turned 39 a few months later – from the Packers. And, coincidentally, paving the way for Rodgers to start in Green Bay.
Rodgers was the league’s MVP in 2020 and 2021, but didn’t perform as well last season as he played with a broken right thumb and had to deal with the absence of star wideout Davante Adams, who was traded to Las Vegas. He had his lowest passer rating as a starter (91.1) and threw 12 interceptions, his highest total since 2008. The Packers went 8–9 and missed the playoffs to end a three-game streak consecutive NFC North titles.
Rodgers led the Packers to their most recent Super Bowl title in the 2010 season. Rodgers never got the Packers back to the Super Bowl, but he helped make them annual contenders. The Packers have lost four of the past nine seasons in the NFC championship game.
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“I have nothing but love and appreciation for what Aaron has done for so many in our organization,” said Matt LaFleur at the NFL rallies in Phoenix last month.
Rodgers’ departure marks a major change for the Packers after having had about three decades of Hall of Fame-level quarterback production in Favre and Rodgers. Next in line is Jordan Love, a 2020 first round pick who has made just one career start.
Rodgers acknowledged that the move surprised him. He skipped the Packers’ mandatory 2021 minicamp in a deadlock with team management before reporting to camp and producing a second straight MVP season. (He also won the award for 2011 and 2014.) But the parties patched things up afterward.
When asked at the Packers’ mandatory mini-camp last June if he expected to finish his career in Green Bay, Rodgers replied, “Yes. Certainly.”
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Then came a 2022 season that didn’t go according to plan.
Rodgers will now be tasked with managing a franchise that has not been in the Super Bowl since Joe Namath led the franchise to victory in its only appearance in January 1969.
And quarterback problems have often been one of the main culprits in the fight ever since. That was especially true during the Jets’ current playoff drought.
Saleh said the Jets remain committed to developing Wilson, the second overall pick in 2021. But the 23-year-old will do so as a backup to Rodgers, who was Wilson’s idol growing up in Utah.
Wilson joked the day after the end of the season that he would welcome an experienced starter to claim his job, saying he intends to “make that dude’s life hell every day.”
Little did he know at the time that “that guy” would be the quarterback he tried to emulate as a youngster – who will now be in New York to take the Jets to another highly anticipated Super Bowl.
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AP Pro Football writer Rob Maaddi and AP Sports writer Steve Megargee contributed.
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