The Green Bay Packers are reported to have demanded an unbelievable package in exchange for Aaron Rodgers.
The veteran quarterback has gotten his move to New York, joining the Jets as part of a deal worked out before the 2023 NFL Draft. But there were times it appeared as if the trade would never happen.
According to Brian Costello of the New York Times, the Packers played hardball but were only keen on having talks with the team Rodgers wanted to join. In a lengthy piece detailing the inner workings of the deal and how it got over the line, Costello reported that Green Bay was after compensation similar to what the Seattle Seahawks got for Russell Wilson and the Detroit Lions got in exchange For Matthew Stafford.
Both deals were inclusive of a pair of first-round picks.
Of course, the Jets were never going to trade two premium picks for a player nearing 40 who wasn’t guaranteed to play for more than one season.
Costello notes the trade could have fallen through at that juncture but it was saved by the Packers allowing the Jets to speak to Rodgers directly before there was an agreement on compensation.
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The teams settled on a pair of 2023 pick swaps that saw the Packers move from No. 15 to No. 13 in the first round while exchanging a sixth-rounder for a fifth-rounder.
Green Bay also got a second-rounder for 2024 that will become a first-rounder if Rodgers plays at least 65 percent of the offensive snaps next season.
