Fifteen years after the Green Bay Packers traded legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets, the two teams agreed on another blockbuster deal that sent Aaron Rodgers to New York.
In what ended up being one of the biggest trades in NFL history, Rodgers joined the Jets on April 24, 2023. Let’s revisit the trade and how it has worked out for both teams.
Breaking Down the Aaron Rodgers Trade
Here are the exact trade packages that both teams gave up and which prospects the picks ultimately became.
The Packers received:
- 2023 first-round pick (DE Lukas Van Ness)
- 2023 second-round pick (TE Luke Musgrave)
- 2023 sixth-round pick (K Anders Carlson)
- 2024 second-round pick (traded down to select LB Edgerrin Cooper, S Evan Williams, OL Jacob Monk)
The Jets received:
- QB Aaron Rodgers
- 2023 first-round pick (DE Will McDonald IV)
- 2023 fifth-round pick (traded down for sixth- and seventh-round selections CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse and TE Zack Kuntz, respectively)
Why Did Green Bay Trade Rodgers?
During the 2020 NFL Draft, the Packers shocked the NFL world by selecting Utah State quarterback Jordan Love with the No. 26 pick in the first round. While the Packers were preparing for life after Rodgers, the veteran QB responded by winning two more MVP awards, making it tougher to move on and start the Love era.
However, after signing a long-term extension, tensions began to rise between Rodgers and the Packers’ front office. In March 2023, during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers made it clear that he wanted to join the Jets.
Here's Aaron Rodgers telling Pat McAfee that he intends to be a member of the New York Jets in 2023👇#NFLTwitter #TakeFlight #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/86SZAUWoqT
— Bookmakers Review (@BMRReviews) March 15, 2023
After years of struggling to develop quarterbacks, the Jets hoped Rodgers would finally give them a franchise quarterback and help them compete for a Super Bowl. However, just four plays into his Jets debut, the future Hall of Famer tore his Achilles.
Rodgers has stayed healthy in his second season, but the results have not followed as expected. Jets chairman Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start, despite the Jets sitting just a game out of first place in the AFC East.
The results have not followed, as the Jets have lost three straight since Saleh’s firing. That includes a humiliating Week 8 loss to the rebuilding New England Patriots, in which the Jets made dubious NFL history.
Scored 20+ points
Didn’t turn it over
Allowed fewer than 250 yardsIn NFL history, teams are 750-1 (including playoffs) when generating that box score.
The only loss is the Jets yesterday.
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 28, 2024
Even with Rodgers at the helm, the Jets rank 25th in scoring offense and 20th in EPA per play through Week 8.
The team is looking to break its 13-year postseason drought and win its second Super Bowl title. The playoff drought is the longest active streak for any NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL team.
For Green Bay, the trade allowed them to hand the reins over to Love, which has worked out well. Through a series of draft trades, Green Bay added six players from the deal and reached the Divisional Round in 2023.
Love has dealt with injuries in his second full season as a starter. He missed two games after a Week 1 knee injury and had to depart Green Bay’s Week 8 game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars early with a groin injury. Nevertheless, the Packers are off to a 6-2 start and firmly in Super Bowl contention.
Green Bay demonstrated their faith in Love by inking him to a four-year, $220 million extension ($100.8 million guaranteed at signing) before the start of the season.
Who Won the Rodgers Trade?
At this point, most would agree that the Packers got the better end of the deal, especially considering Rodgers’ lost first season with the Jets and the debacle of a second season.
The Packers are winners regardless, given Love’s ascension and the young core they’ve built around him. Green Bay remains one of the youngest teams in the NFL, yet has a wide-open Super Bowl window. However, they would be fairly lopsided winners of the deal if the Jets are unable to make any noise in the postseason for as long as Rodgers is on the roster.
For the Jets, this trade looks like a failure so far but can’t truly be judged until the end of Rodgers’ tenure with the team. The Super Bowl contention dreams bandied about seem like a long shot now, but even a playoff appearance would represent a win for the organization.
Still, that feels like a bitter pill for the Jets to take, especially given the all-in nature of this team. New York surrendered further draft capital to acquire wide receiver Davante Adams, who thus far has not made a difference to the Jets’ bottom line. Looking ahead to 2025, the Jets are projected to rank in the bottom half of the league in cap space, giving the organization few avenues to improve its aging roster.
Unless Rodgers has one more vintage season up his sleeve in 2025, the Packers appear destined to go down as clear winners of this deal.