Jets 'Pretty Confident' Aaron Rodgers Trade With Packers Will Get Done, Owner Says

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson expects Aaron Rodgers to be his team's starting quarterback next season despite an ongoing standstill in trade talks with the Green Bay Packers.

"We're pretty confident we can get something done," Johnson told reporters Tuesday.

Rodgers announced his intention to play for the Jets during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show earlier this month. The Jets and Packers have been working for weeks on terms of a trade, but it's unclear how close the two sides are to getting a deal done.

"I'm not hitting the panic button," Jets coach Robert Saleh told reporters of getting a deal done. "I'm confident that things are going to work out," he added. "You guys know me. I'm a very positive person and optimistic, so I'm confident that things will go the way we're hoping. But at the same time, it's not going to eat at me."

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters the team attempted to contact Rodgers "many times" this offseason but did not get a response. Gutekunst said Rodgers' lack of communication sent a signal to the organization that it's time to move on.

Importantly, he also indicated Green Bay does not necessarily need a first-round pick in trade talks to get a deal done. The Jets have the No. 13 pick in next month's draft and have been understandably reluctant to move it for a 39-year-old quarterback who may only play one more season.

While all parties seem to understand where this situation is headed, New York's lack of urgency to complete a deal may ultimately lower the cost. Nearly every other NFL team has its quarterback plan in place or plans on making a move on draft day.

The Jets are Rodgers' only realistic suitor at this point and the team the famously cantankerous signal-caller publicly said he wants to join. Green Bay could theoretically hold onto Rodgers, but the team clearly wants to move on just as badly as Rodgers.

Any further attempts to extract value out of the Jets would likely just backfire.