After six weeks of waiting, the storied
Aaron Rodgers leaves his illustrious career in Green Bay behind
and the quarterback moves to the Big Apple, where great expectations await him.
The New York Jets have reached an agreement to acquire the
four-time NFL MVP
in a trade with the Packers, a source close to the negotiations told him.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Monday on condition of anonymity, as the teams had not yet made the trade official.
Rodgers, 39, spent several days in February contemplating his future, isolating himself in Oregon.
At the same time, fans and the press did not stop conjecturing about his next destination.
He reappeared and kept musing until he decided on March 10 that he wanted to keep playing — and he would play for the Jets.
The quarterback and the rest of the NFL had to wait while the Packers and Jets finally completed the trade.
“
I made it clear that my intention was to play, and my intention was to play for the New York Jets
,” Rodgers said while appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube and Sirius XM on March 15.
The Jets sent a contingent that included owner Woody Johnson, coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas to visit Rodgers at his Southern California residence in early March.
Days later,
Rodgers made the decision to continue his career as the Jets
.
As the weeks passed, the negotiations seemed to bog down.
Fans — and teams — began to wonder if the trade would go through.
“We're looking forward to it,” Johnson told reporters at the league's annual meeting on March 28.
“We want it to happen.
We are optimistic.
But we have a plan, and we are determined to stick to it.
I don't think anyone is getting desperate right now."
It took time, but the parties were finally able to reach an agreement on compensation.
The Super Bowl champion moves to New York to displace Zach Wilson,
the second overall pick in the 2021 draft who has failed to establish himself as a starter in his first two seasons.
New York went 7-10 last season, capping a six-game losing streak that stretched the NFL's longest playoff miss, a franchise record, to 12 years.
