The Green Bay Packers reportedly had an Aaron Rodgers trade asking price that was far more similar to recent trades in the NFL for elite starting quarterbacks.
The Green Bay Packers deciding to start a new era at quarterback was one of the biggest storylines in the 2023 NFL offseason. When Aaron Rodgers then made it clear that he wanted to continue playing and the New York Jets was the team he wanted to do it with, the decision created a new saga that lasted for over a month.
Despite both teams wanting to get a deal done, hammering out the details of a trade ended up taking far longer than many thought as the teams haggled over the specifics of what they would receive in a potential trade.
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Right before the NFL Draft, the two sides finally came to an agreement on a pact that saw the two organizations swap picks in the opening round of the draft, a second-rounder, and a sixth-rounder in 2023, as well as a conditional second-round selection in 2024.
However, it seems the Green Bay Packers were looking for much more in a trade for the four-time NFL MVP who is only a couple of years removed from winning back-to-back most valuable player awards.
Green Bay Packers record (2022): 8-9, third place in NFC North
On Monday morning, New York Post Jets insider Brian Costello reported on the long process that took Aaron Rodgers from being a Green Bay Packers legend to the new starting signal caller for the New York, and he had an interesting nugget about the Pack’s original thinking of what their asking price would be in a trade.
“[After the season] the Packers were looking for a deal similar to what the Seahawks got for Russell Wilson and the Lions got for Matthew Stafford. Both deals included two first-round picks. The Jets had no interest in trading two first-round picks for a 39-year-old who might play only one season in New York.”
– Brian Costello
In trading team great Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos last spring, the Seattle Seahawks received a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a fifth-round pick in 2022, as well as a first and second-round selection in 2023. Plus, they received tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris, and QB Drew Lock.
It is understandable why the Green Bay Packers felt he was worth a similar price as Wilson and Stafford, however, his age and openness to retirement destroyed much of the leverage they had in any deal.