It is a matter of when, not if, the New York Jets will acquire quarterback Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers set the record straight this week during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, saying that he intends to play for the Jets this season, not the Packers.

That will be a huge acquisition for the Jets, who are in desperate need of a quarterback upgrade. Zach Wilson has struggled mightily over the first two years of his career, getting benched twice during the 2022 season.

New York is going to keep him as a backup, so hopefully, he can learn a thing or two from Rodgers. But, they have to finalize a deal to bring him aboard first. Right now, that is proving to be difficult.

Since there are no other teams involved in trade negotiations, the Jets have a lot of leverage in trade talks. They are looking to take full advantage of that, as Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that the Jets have low-balled the Packers on trade offers.

New York is looking to acquire Rodgers for a similar package that they acquired Brett Farve for 15 years ago. All it took to land Farve was a conditional fourth-round pick, which the Jets are attempting to replicate. As a result, the teams are reportedly not close in negotiations.

That isn’t close to the kind of deal that the Packers have been seeking. They have reportedly been seeking two first-round picks in exchange for Rodgers, but it is hard to imagine them getting that much from the Jets as they are lacking leverage. 

But, they could play hardball and just refuse to trade Rodgers, which would throw a wrench in the Jets’ plan. PFN Senior Analyst Trey Wingo has reported that the deal is much closer to getting done, but it does sound like there is still a gap to be overcome.