The Packers won’t stand in the way of Aaron Rodgers if the quarterback requests a trade this offseason, team president and CEO Mark Murphy confirmed Friday.
Rodgers’ future has been a source of massive speculation this offseason, and he and the Packers appear to be on the brink of a departure after 18 seasons.
And after the Jets were granted permission to speak with the 39-year-old this week, Murphy indicated Friday that both Rodgers and Green Bay may be ready to walk away from each other.
“It’s a situation where I think we wanted to help Aaron achieve what he wanted, as well as help the Packers,” he said. wbay. “Hopefully, it will create a situation where it’s a win-win for both parties.”
While Murphy noted that discussions were still ongoing, he did talk about Rodgers’ Green Bay career in the past tense.
‘Very few players play for only one team. Brett (Favre) had a great run here. Aaron had a great run here,’ he said.
New York Jets bosses believe they are on the verge of acquiring four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
Packers Chairman and CEO Mark Murphy discussed Rodgers’ career in Green Bay in the past tense
“Regardless of what happens, Aaron will be in the Pro Football HOF, he will be in our hall of fame, we will bring him back and we will retire his number.”
Rodgers met with Jets owner Woody Johnson and the team’s front office staff in his native California this week, and New York came away confident that they could clinch the four-time MVP.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the Jets’ top brass believed they were “close to” signing Rodgers starting Thursday.
Rodgers hasn’t made any professional decisions since coming out of a dark four-day retreat in the Oregon desert, where he was expected to contemplate his next move, whether it be retiring, forcing a trade or another season in Green Bay.
The Jets appear motivated to make a deal after missing out on free agent quarterback Derek Carr, who agreed to a four-year, $150 million contract with the New Orleans Saints on Monday. The former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback had been considered a viable option for the Jets, who are rumored to be interested in replacing struggling starter Zach Wilson with a more experienced veteran.
Meanwhile, Jets players have apparently forgotten about Wilson entirely as they took to social media to beg Rodgers to come to New York.
Jets cornerback Willow Gardner and running back Breece Hall didn’t make the trip west, but they did make their sales pitches on social media.
Gardner directly mentioned Rodgers on Twitter, telling him, “I promise if you become a Jet, I won’t cut you out in practice” and vowing to burn the cheesehead hat he wore in Green Bay last season when the Jets caused a 27 -10 upset by the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Hall, similarly, seemed excited at the prospect of playing with Rodgers.
Willow Gardner has publicly campaigned for Rodgers to join the Jets this offseason
“Don’t worry about me… Just protesting @Aaron Rodgers,” the 21-year-old tweeted.
Rodgers has $108.8 million left on his current contract, which runs through 2026, though that season and 2025 are considered “fictional” years that are only on the books for salary cap purposes.
His contract is fully guaranteed for $59.5 million this season, most of which comes in the form of a bonus before the start of the regular season, according to ESPN.
But the Jets wouldn’t necessarily be suffering for the cap space if they acquired it, because Rodgers’ bonus was prorated on his current three-year contract. In all, he would have $15.8 million against his team’s salary cap in 2023 and $32.5 million for 2024, according to ESPN.
Meanwhile, the Packers would still have $40.3 million of Rodgers’ salary for 2023 on their books should they trade him. That’s a whopping 18 percent of the NFL’s $224.8 million salary cap for this year.
