ESPN: Aaron Rodgers Wasn't 'Communicative' with Packers but QB Will Be Traded to Jets

After Aaron Rodgers lamented the lack of communication he received from the Green Bay Packers this offseason, the team apparently wasn't happy with him for not keeping them in the loop about what he was doing.

Appearing on Get Up, ESPN's Rob Demovsky explained Rodgers "wasn't exactly communicative" with the Packers over the past two months, but they still intend to trade him to the New York Jets for a price they deem fair:

"You heard Aaron say that he hopes they do right by him, and that is a reasonable request. But that's a two-way street. I'm told that throughout this process over the last couple of months that Rodgers wasn't exactly communicative with the organization when they would reach out to check in with him to see where he's at. Not necessarily pressuring him to make a decision, but just periodic check-ins. So, communication is a two-way street. And the fact that it wasn't overly communicative from his point might be why they might make Rodgers wait just a little bit longer. They will trade him, but they're not going to give him away. Sources assured me that they will trade him, and the deal is relatively close, but this is a petty business on both the player and the team side."

During his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers criticized Packers management for what he felt was a change in tone as the offseason went on.

There have been several shifts in this entire Rodgers saga since the Packers' season ended on Jan. 8.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported three weeks after that Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions trading Rodgers was on the table for Green Bay, and some people in the NFL "believe the franchise prefers to move on" from the four-time NFL MVP.

Rodgers announced on Feb. 7 he was going on a darkness retreat to gain clarity on his future. He completed the four-day retreat on Feb. 22 but didn't provide any details afterward if he was going to retire or play the 2023 season.

Schefter said on a March 3 episode of SportsCenter (h/t Dan Mennella of 97.1 The Ticket) the "two most likely scenarios" for Rodgers were retirement or playing for the Jets.

SNY.tv's Connor Hughes reported on March 11 the Packers and Jets "essentially" worked out all the details of a trade and Rodgers would play for New York if he wanted to.

Rodgers told McAfee the Packers are holding things up because of the compensation they are seeking.

All of this seems to suggest how much of a mess things were between Rodgers and the Packers over the past two months. He gave them at least some leverage in trade negotiations by publicly saying he wants to play for a specific team.

Now, the Jets are under the microscope to get the trade done because everyone knows they need a quarterback. The Packers presumably can't ask for a huge haul because they're only negotiating with one team, but Rodgers still has enough value that they don't need to sell low.

It's a strange way for an 18-year partnership between an all-time great quarterback and organization to end, but somehow, it also makes perfect sense—Rodgers is a very unique personality.

As soon as Rodgers suits up for the Jets, he will become the most talented quarterback they have had since Brett Favre in 2008.