Aaron Rodgers Trade Rumors: Packers 'Bit Stubborn'; Jets 'Unwilling...to Go That Far'

The Green Bay Packers remain "a little bit stubborn" in trade negotiations with the New York Jets over Aaron Rodgers, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"[Green Bay] wants a premium package of draft picks in exchange for [Rodgers], presumably over multiple years," Fowler said Saturday on SportsCenter. "The Jets have just been unwilling at this point to go that far."

He added the Jets and Packers "made a little bit of progress" at the NFL league meeting in March, but nothing much has happened in the ensuing weeks.

Fowler explained one area of continued bargaining is the protections placed on any draft compensation tied to Rodgers' future in the NFL.

Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported Wednesday on ESPN Madison's Wilde & Tausch that the Packers were "stuck on an asking price" of a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 first-rounder but were also willing to negotiate 2025 draft compensation based on Rodgers' playing status. The Jets, for their part, were holding firm and not acceding to the demands:

Everybody knows Rodgers wants out of Green Bay and wants to play for the Jets. The problem is, both teams believe—with good reason—they're in a position to dictate the terms and let the other sweat things out.

At this point, it's tough to see any path back for Rodgers and the Packers. The team needs to move on to Jordan Love as its starting quarterback, and the longer this drags on the more it risks Rodgers simply retiring and leaving them totally empty-handed after his departure.

The Jets, meanwhile, don't really have a backup plan if this trade falls through. The free-agent market is barren at this point, and pivoting to a deal for Lamar Jackson is easier said than done.

The worst-case scenario is arguably worse for New York than it is for Green Bay because it creates a far bigger disruption for the former in the short term. The Packers are facing a transitional period regardless of what happens. If all of this comes to nothing, the Jets are suddenly a franchise with Super Bowl aspirations that's starting Zach Wilson at quarterback again.

Somebody will have to blink sooner or later, and the Jets might have too much at stake to let the trade collapse entirely.