After months of waiting, the NFL world finally got confirmation from Green Bay Packers superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers about what his future holds, and what his plans are for the 2023 season and beyond.
The four-time MVP made a surprise appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, March 15. While Rodgers prefaced his monologue by saying that the appearance wasn’t to announce some kind of decision, the 39-year-old confirmed that he intends to play for the Jets next season assuming that the Packers are able to work out a trade.
Nicole Menner with FOX11 in Green Bay tweeted the direct quote confirming that Rodgers intends to play in New York next season.
“Since Friday I made it clear that my intention was to play and my intention was to play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers said.
The move doesn’t come as a surprise, with the Packers and Jets engaging in trade conversations for over a week. However, it was the first time that the 39-year-old quarterback confirmed what his intentions are since the news and rumors broke out prior to the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period.
Now, Rodgers and the rest of the NFL world will have to wait on the Packers and Jets to agree on fair compensation in order for a trade to be finalized.
Breaking Down the Rodgers-Jets Saga
Although speculation had linked Rodgers and the Jets together in a trade for months, the saga only truly began a week before the start of free agency.
Rodgers confirmed during The Pat McAfee Show that he had met in person with the Jets to talk about his future. Although he admitted to leaning “90 percent” towards retirement prior to his darkness retreat, plans changed for the four-time MVP once he emerged from the darkness.
Few comments have come out from the Packers since the news broke of Rodgers meeting with the Jets. However, when speaking with a reporter prior to the start of free agency, Packers president Mark Murphy heavily implied that Green Bay would prefer to usher in the Jordan Love era in 2023.
Despite Rodgers not officially being traded to New York, the Packers quarterback has apparently been trying to lure free agents to the Jets. The tactic seems to be working, with Rodgers’ former teammate Allen Lazard signing a four-year, $44 million contract with the AFC team. The star quarterback has also expressed interest in the team making a run at star wideout Odell Beckham Jr..
It’s unclear how long it will take for a trade to be finalized, but Rodgers has all but confirmed that he will be playing for the Jets in 2023.
Is Jordan Love Ready to Be Green Bay’s Starter?
Packers fans haven’t gotten to see much of backup quarterback Jordan Love, but it looks like 2023 will finally be his chance to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Love was taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the expectation that he would be the successor to Rodgers. Back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021 delayed that succession plan, however, with Love only logging one career start in his first three seasons.
Despite limited opportunities to play, Love flashed when replacing an injured Rodgers against the Philadelphia Eagles this past season. Playing the fourth quarter, Love showed out by completing 6 of 9 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Now, the 24-year-old quarterback is being handed the reigns in Green Bay despite little meaningful playing time. It’s unclear how he’ll perform, but Packers fans will finally get to see if Love can be the next great quarterback in Green Bay.