Jets GM on Rodgers: ‘He’s Gonna Be Here’

A quick comment by Jets GM Joe Douglas wouldn't be news if not for a recent twist in the Aaron Rodgers trade rumors.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Apr 8, 2023 8:58 PM EDT
Original:
Apr 8, 2023

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – While the San Francisco 49ers allegedly have tip-toed into the Aaron Rodgers conversation, the Green Bay Packers’ four-time MVP quarterback is still headed to the New York Jets.

That’s what Jets general manager Joe Douglas said on Friday.

Appearing at a live event hosted by Audacy’s WFAN Sports Radio, Douglas was asked by former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason about the looming trade for Rodgers.

“He’s gonna be here,” Douglas said to wild applause.

Rodgers-to-the-Jets has been the presumptive final act of the months-long drama. That was driven home on March 15, when Rodgers said it was his “intention” to play for New York.

“At this point, I made it clear that my intention was to play and play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I still have that fire and want to play. It’s just a matter of getting that done at this point.”

The “getting that done” part has been the trouble. The Packers and Jets have been discussing a trade for almost a month without a deal being reached. Offseason programs are set to begin on April 17, though the first real pressure point is the start of the NFL Draft on April 27. The next key date is the start of offseason practices on May 22.

Without a deal being struck, the 49ers reportedly have entered the conversation.

According to WFAN’s Craig Carton, the 49ers have offered “multiple” third-round picks in the 2023 draft and a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. In this month’s draft, the 49ers have three picks in the third round but none in the first, a byproduct of their 2021 trade to select quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick.

Like the Jets, the 49ers are a quarterback away from having a championship-caliber team. Even without that premier quarterback, the Niners advanced to last year’s NFC Championship Game.

“They have Trey Lance coming off a broken ankle, they’ve got Brock Purdy, who’s not going to be throwing the ball until August or September (the timeline calls for June), and they signed [former Jets and Panthers quarterback] Sam Darnold. They do not have a quarterback right now,” Carton said.

The question is whether the 49ers are legitimately in the mix for Rodgers, if it’s a smokescreen by the Packers to extra additional compensation or it’s all nonsense.

If the 49ers are indeed interested, it wouldn’t be the first time. When Rodgers grew disillusioned with the Packers following the selection of Jordan Love in the 2020 draft, the 49ers reached out about a potential trade before the 2021 draft.

“The exact truth is I don’t want to wake up the next day on Friday and see Aaron Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks in this league, traded without doing any due diligence on it,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show after the draft. “So, I just called Matt and asked him if there’s anything to it. And Matt told me I’d be wasting my time if we had [general manager John] Lynch call.”

Regardless, all signs still point to Rodgers playing for the Jets.

New York hired Nathaniel Hackett to be its offensive coordinator. With Green Bay, Hackett was the coordinator as Rodgers won his third and fourth MVPs and the team won 13 games all three seasons.

New York signed receiver Allen Lazard in free agency. Rodgers and Lazard have been training together.

The Jets even signed Rodgers’ former backup, Tim Boyle, to join a presumptive Rodgers-Zach Wilson depth chart.