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Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2022.
The Green Bay Packers could be putting the squeeze on the New York Jets in trade talks for Aaron Rodgers.
The most recent reports have the Jets and Packers locked in a stalemate for the future Hall of Fame QB. ESPN’s Adam Schefter relayed that “there hasn’t been a whole lot of conversation” since the NFL League Meeting on April 12. The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt added that “the vibe around the Jets is that a deal isn’t particularly close” on April 17.
Now, a new rumor is making its rounds within the NFL community — the Tennessee Titans are back “in touch with the Packers” on Rodgers. Kenneth Teape of NFL Analysis Network reported: “According to a former NFL executive that spoke to NFL Analysis Network, the Tennessee Titans have reached out to the Packers about Aaron Rodgers. While the executive does caution that a deal with the Jets is most likely, the Titans are a team to watch should those talks actually fall through.”
Teape also quoted his unnamed source, who stated: “While the likely outcome for Rodgers is still the Jets, the Titans have reached out recently. If things fall apart with New York, Tennessee would have a shot at acquiring him.”
Titans’ Aaron Rodgers Trade Rumors Could Be Packers’ Latest Attempt to Bluff Jets
Many picked up this story around the NFL, including Titans Sports Illustrated reporter Greg Arias.
“While the Titans may have kicked the tires on the what-if of the potential deal with the Jets falling through, I’m hard-pressed to believe this is anything more than a smokescreen, likely started by the Packers to light a fire in New York, that another team could be entering the trade picture for Rodgers,” Arias responded, doubting the validity of this rumor.
Others immediately went along with the news. “The Titans are interested in Aaron Rodgers,” Packers writer Wendell Ferreira quote tweeted.
Tyler Brooke of Heavy on Packers also chimed in, writing: “If the Titans really are interested in Rodgers, it could force New York’s hand and have them work to meet Green Bay’s asking price before the end of this year’s draft.” However, Brooke did add that “despite rumors popping up about the Titans and [San Francisco] 49ers, all signs are still pointing towards Rodgers playing for the Jets in 2023.”
On that note, even Teape had his doubts after opening Pandora’s box with the Titans rumor.
“The Titans would be a shocking landing spot for Aaron Rodgers,” he voiced after reporting on his source. “They look like a franchise ready to embark on a rebuild, not one looking to contend in 2023.”
Teape went on: “It would be hard to envision Aaron Rodgers approving a trade to the Titans and showing up. They may have a more underwhelming set of pass catchers than the Packers currently do. With so many holes existing on the roster, Tennessee would be better off continuing to move veterans for draft capital to keep retooling and rebuilding the roster.”
Like Brooke, he concluded that “the Jets are [still] the most logical landing spot for the future Hall of Famer.”
Will Jets & Packers Compromise on an Aaron Rodgers Trade?
While Rodgers to New York has felt like a done deal for weeks — if not months — every day that goes by makes it more and more likely that something will change at the eleventh hour.
According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, the holdup is the likelihood that Rodgers will retire after one season. “Suddenly Woody [Johnson] was like — ‘hey, if this is just a one-year window then we aren’t giving up a one.’ I’m paraphrasing here. ‘We aren’t giving up a one and another asset on top of that for what might be a one-year window,” Robinson said on the Wilde and Tausch ESPN radio show.
“Whether that’s a three, two, or whatever. I think there were pretty extensive talks that kind of whittled it down into that zone right around the time of that visit,” he continued. “It wasn’t like the two parties were going into it blind, they felt pretty close and then things changed… The Packers are absolutely stuck on — ‘we got to get the first straight-up next year, nothing put on that we need your first next year [guaranteed].’”
Clearly, the Jets would prefer to work with conditional picks in 2024, even if they avoid giving up their first rounder in 2023 — with the likely inclusion of a 2023 second-round pick as part of the package. Considering the NFL Draft is set to begin a week from tomorrow (April 20), it’s fair to wonder if the two sides will agree to compromise in time.
