Aaron Rodgers traded to Jets; details to be finalized, Packers say
ORANGE COUNTY, CA - MARCH 11: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers at Celebrity Flag Football Charity Event at Saddleback College on March 11, 2023 in Orange County, CA. (Photo by Aubrey Lao /Getty Images)
NEW YORK - Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is being traded to the New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers confirm. Officials say the details of the trade have yet to be finalized.
The New York Jets agreed on a deal Monday to acquire the four-time NFL MVP from the Packers, according to a person with knowledge of the trade.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the teams have not officially announced the deal.
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The Jets will receive Rodgers, the No. 15 overall pick and a fifth-rounder this year from the Packers, according to another person with knowledge of the trade. In exchange, Green Bay will get the 13th overall selection, a sixth-rounder and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that can become a first-rounder if Rodgers plays 65% of plays for New York next season.
Leading up to the trade
On March 15, Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show that it was his "intention" to play for the New York Jets.
"At this point, as I sit here, I think since Friday I’ve made it clear that my intention was to play and my intention was to play for the New York Jets," Rodgers said. "I haven’t been holding anything up at this point. It’s been compensation the Packers are trying to get for me, kind of digging their heels in."
Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy previously acknowledged the team granted the Jets permission to talk to Rodgers. The Jets sent a contingent that reportedly included owner Woody Johnson, coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas to Rodgers’ home in Southern California.
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Earlier, Rodgers said he would make a decision regarding his football future upon completing an "isolation retreat" after the Super Bowl. The retreat, he said, was several days of total darkness an isolation inside a house – no sound, music or any entertainment – just him and his thoughts. On Feb. 23, it was reported he had emerged from that retreat.
After the retreat, Rodgers told the show something changed. Before he went in, he was "90%" leaning toward retirement, but then he spoke to people, mostly players, about how the situation regarding his decision developed while he was away.
"Everything that I was told in the week that I was in Green Bay was ‘Take as long as you want, and we want you to retire a Packer. You want to come back and play, obviously the door is wide open,'" said Rodgers. "That was the information I was going on. Now when I came out of the darkness something changed. I’m not exactly sure what that was, but something changed.
"It was clear to me at that point that although the Packers were going to say the right thing publicly, they were ready to move on."
Packers receiver Randall Cobb and quarterback Aaron Rodgers walk off the field together after a loss to the Lions at Lambea Field on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.
Rodgers' final pass last season was an interception in a loss to the Detroit Lions. As was the case after each of the past few seasons, there was immediate speculation as to if that pass and game would be his last in the NFL – or at least with the Packers.
Rodgers won four MVP awards, the second most ever by a single player, and was the MVP of Super Bowl XLV after the Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011. His 59,082 career passing yards rank ninth in NFL history, 475 touchdowns rank fifth in NFL history, and 103.6 passer rating ranks second in NFL history.
The quarterback was named a five-time All-Pro by the Associated Press, including four first-team selections. Rodgers' 10 Pro Bowl selections are the most in Packers history. He is also a member of the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team, Tom Brady the only other quarterback.
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Rodgers led the NFL in passer rating four times, passing touchdowns twice and completion percentage once. He also holds the NFL record for passer rating in a season, 122.5, as well as records for the lowest interception rate in a season and for a career, consecutive passes without an interception and best career touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft out of California, Rodgers took the reins from Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre after three seasons on the Packers' bench.
Rodgers holds the Packers franchise record for passing touchdowns and passer rating (among quarterbacks with at least 50 attempts). He is second in team history for passing yards, games played and game-winning drives, trailing only Brett Favre who played 25 more games with Green Bay than did Rodgers.
In 2014, Rodgers won the Bart Starr Award for exemplary leadership on the field and in the community.
The Associated Press and FOX News contributed to this report.