Packer Central

Jets’ GM Leaves No Doubt: Rodgers Is Their Focus

It's only a matter of time before Packers GM Brian Gutekunst and Jets GM Joe Douglas work out a trade for four-time MVP QB Aaron Rodgers.

Bill Huber

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Echoing what his coach, Robert Saleh, said earlier in the day, New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas said there’s “not a ton of urgency” to acquire quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers.

“There’s been some productive conversations,” Douglas told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix on Monday afternoon. “We’re not where we need to be yet but I feel we’re in a good place. There’s no hard deadline. There’s not a ton of urgency from our standpoint but very optimistic.”

While Saleh and Douglas were limited in what they could say about Rodgers since he’s officially still a member of the Packers, they made clear that Rodgers was the quarterback they believe can lead the team to its first Lombardi Trophy since another No. 12, Joe Namath, in 1968.

“We feel comfortable with the plan we have in place,” Douglas said. “We’re going to let this process play out. But, again, we do have a really good plan.”

There’s absolutely no doubt about the centerpiece of that plan. It’s Rodgers, the four-time MVP who ranks fifth in NFL history in touchdown passes.

The other big-fish quarterback available in the sea is Ravens star Lamar Jackson, who has asked Baltimore for a trade. That’s not going to happen, though.

“First of all, Lamar Jackson’s a fantastic player,” Douglas said. “But where we stand is it would be disingenuous and operating, negotiating in bad faith if we went down that path. So, right now, we have our plan, we have our process and we’re sticking to that.”

And that plan will not be turning back to Zach Wilson. The second pick of the 2021 draft will be the Jets’ backup, Saleh said.

So, the Jets want Rodgers. And the Packers, who are ready to give Jordan Love his shot, want to make it happen. So, a little more than two weeks after Rodgers asked the Packers to trade him to the Jets, why hasn’t the trade happened?

Urgency – or lack of it. The NFL Draft will begin one month from today. The Jets won’t hit the field for the first practice of organized team activities until May 22. And with Rodgers’ three years working alongside new Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, not even that day is a tipping point.

The Packers aren’t under the gun to make something happen, either. If the 2023 draft comes and goes without a trade, they could take the picks in 2024. While Rodgers’ contract is monstrous, the Packers signed him to that deal with the intention of him playing it out, so it’s not as if the finances haven’t been accounted for.

Douglas and Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, who have been talking for weeks, no doubt will get together in Phoenix for face-to-face discussions.

Barring some sort of unforeseen circumstances, the trade is going to happen. The Packers, who reached the playoffs in 11 of Rodgers’ 15 seasons as the starter, are ready for a fresh start. The Jets, who haven’t reached the playoffs since Mark Sanchez led them to back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010, are ready to take the next step.

“We’ve come a long way in two years and to have a guy of his caliber,” Saleh said, “but, really, there’s a lot of guys that want to come here and play and there’s a lot of excitement around the organization and it’s cool thing to be a part of.

“So, hopefully, we can continue to move forward and capitalize.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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