Schefter on Aaron Rodgers: 'I Believe' It's Jets Trade or Retirement for Packers QB

If Aaron Rodgers moves on from the Green Bay Packers this offseason, it appears there may only be two options on the table for the veteran quarterback.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday on SportsCenter that he believes Rodgers will either be traded to the New York Jets or opt for retirement:

"My sense is there continues to be more and more signs about him leaving Green Bay. And I think in the end, my sense is ultimately it will come down to whether he wants to play elsewhere, which would be really the New York Jets, or whether he wants to retire. To me, those are the two most logical options and the two most likely scenarios here. But again, we have not heard from Aaron Rodgers himself.

"We have heard the Packers talk about Jordan Love and how much belief they have in him and how much progress he's made. And I think he's their quarterback of the future here, clearly. And they continue to wait for the decision from Aaron Rodgers, who knows that at some point in time, he's said the Packers have had conversations about him with other teams. And that's why I believe that it's going to either be the New York Jets or retirement in the end. And we'll show how this shakes out, but there's nothing yet from Aaron Rodgers. It has to come soon.

"We are basically under two weeks until the start of the league year. We await his word and at some point, something's going to have to happen here because Derek Carr's waiting to see where's Aaron Rodgers wants to go. These teams need decisions from the quarterbacks and everything right now is being hung up while we wait to hear from No. 12."

Rodgers has been included in trade rumors throughout the winter as the Packers could opt to make the switch to 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love at quarterback next season.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst even revealed to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this week in Indianapolis that the franchise is excited about getting Love some more playing time in the future.

"I think I've expressed to a lot of people that he needs to play. That's the next step in his progression," Gutekunst said. "He needs to play. Jordan's done a great job working hard, so he's doing everything we're asking."

He added:

"I think whenever players progress, it factors into all the decisions that you're making. We took him for a reason back in 2020, he's been progressing nicely, and to see him kind of take the jump he did this past year was nice. Again, it's much different than going out there week in, week out, taking on the challenges when teams are game planning for you. We were talking earlier about the length of time it takes a quarterback to go from playing well to winning in this league, and he'll need to go through those things just like every other quarterback. He's taken some really good jumps and there's more out there for him, but I think the things that are out there for him, he's going to need to play to do that."

While it's possible that the Packers are ready to move on, Rodgers has yet to make a decision on his future following his four-day darkness retreat. He remains under contract in Green Bay after signing a three-year, $150 million extension in March 2022.

Rodgers recently said during an appearance on the Aubrey Marcus podcast that he'll make a decision on his future "soon enough."

Until then, the Jets are willing to "wait out" the veteran signal-caller as he debates his future because they believe he "gives them the best chance" to win a Super Bowl, per The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt.

There's no doubt that Rodgers would significantly elevate the New York offense alongside Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis and Elijah Moore.

The Jets underperformed mightily in 2022 with Zach Wilson under center, and the quarterback position was viewed to be one of the only major areas the Jets could use an upgrade at.

If Rodgers opts for retirement, though, it'll be interesting to see how the Jets pivot, especially with former Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr also available this offseason.