Topline
The New York Jets finalized a blockbuster deal Monday for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, ESPN reported, sending the Green Bay Packers a package of draft picks for the four-time MVP after months of speculation and a multi-day “darkness retreat.”
Aaron Rodgers will play for the New York Jets after 18 years with the Green Bay Packers.
Key Facts
The Jets—the worst team in the AFC East last year—will receive Rodgers, as well as the 15th and 170th overall draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
The Packers, in return, will receive multiple draft picks, including picks numbers 13, 42 and 207, as well as a second-round pick in the 2024 draft that could become a first-round pick if Rodgers plays in at least 65% of plays this season.
Rodgers, a ten-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, announced last month on the Pat McAfee Show on YouTube he had already made up his mind about joining the Jets, and that the only complication delaying the agreement was the matter of “compensation.”
The 39-year-old veteran quarterback also told McAfee he had considered retirement over the offseason, and even sequestered himself in a dark room for multiple days in a “darkness retreat.”
Big Number
$68 million. That’s how much Rodgers took in between May 2021 and May 2022 in total earnings, including his contract with the Packers and multiple lucrative advertisement deals—making him the world’s 14th highest paid athlete, according to Forbes. Rodgers was the third highest-paid NFL player in that time, only behind now-retired Tom Brady ($83.9 million) and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford ($72.3 million).
Surprising Fact
Rodgers’ departure after 18 years with the Packers follows a similar path for Packers fans, just over 15 years after the Jets landed NFL Hall of Famer and longtime Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who was also 39 years old at the time. Despite receiving Favre in the trade, the Jets still missed the playoffs, finishing third in the AFC East.
Further Reading
Aaron Rodgers Says He Intends To Play For New York Jets (Forbes)
Sources: Packers trade Aaron Rodgers to Jets for multiple picks (ESPN)
Packers agree to trade four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers to Jets (NFL)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/04/24/aaron-rodgers-worlds-14th-highest-paid-athlete-finalizes-deal-with-new-york-jets/