MMQB Details Packers GM Initiating Aaron Rodgers Trade Talks with Other NFL Teams

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas "was the one person to raise his hand and say yes" when the Green Bay Packers first started to explore the trade market for Aaron Rodgers, according to The MMQB's Albert Breer.

Breer detailed the machinations behind the scenes leading up to Rodgers' trade to the Jets last month. He reported Packers GM Brian Gutekunst in January "quietly started to gauge interest in Rodgers from people he trusted with other teams, careful both in whom he talked to and how he phrased the question."

The Jets were already in the process of evaluating potential quarterback targets, including Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan Tannehill.

Hiring Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator provided them with a connection to Rodgers since he had been the Packers OC for three seasons. New York went after Hackett before it started zeroing in on Rodgers, though, per Breer.

Breer reported conversations between Douglas and Gutekunst gained momentum at the NFL Scouting Combine, which got underway Feb. 27. By March 5, Green Bay gave New York permission to speak with Rodgers about a trade, and a group of Jets representatives lined up an in-person meeting for two days later.

By March 15, the future Hall of Famer made public his desire to play for the franchise.

It wasn't until April 26 a deal was made official. New York acquired Rodgers along with the Nos. 15 and 170 overall picks in the 2023 NFL draft. In return, Green Bay received the Nos. 13, 42 and 207 picks in 2023 and a conditional second-rounder in 2024.

Breer reported the Jets felt a sense of urgency to complete something ahead of the draft because "they knew the Packers would be more difficult to deal with after" it ended. He added New York's internal opinion was correct since Green Bay considered the draft "a real drop-dead date" when it came to the trade.

Now, the Jets will have to wait and see whether all of the headaches and difficult negotiations with the Packers were worth it.