NFL rumors: Packers soften asking price in Aaron Rodgers trade

The Packers were reported to want a first-round pick from the Jets in the Aaron Rodgers trade but Green Bay might be softening up to get a deal done. 

Though it’s been made clear that Aaron Rodgers wants to go to the New York Jets and, by most accounts, that the Green Bay Packers are more than ready to move on from their longtime quarterback, we’ve yet to see the trade happen. There are various reasons as to why, one of those was thought to be Green Bay’s asking price as they were reported to want a first-round pick (and more) from New York.

That may no longer be the case — or at least it could be becoming less of a holdup for the Jets.

During the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix this week, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke to the media and offered some key insights on the ongoing Aaron Rodgers trade saga. First, there is still no timeline on when a deal will happen. Second, he somehow didn’t shut the door on the quarterback returning to Green Bay. But lastly and most notably, Gutekunst noted that a trade “doesn’t necessarily need a first-round pick”, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

NFL rumors: Aaron Rodgers trade no longer requires Packers getting first-round pick

Perhaps one of the reasons for this change in the stance of Green Bay is the recent Elijah Moore trade that the Jets made. As a result of dealing with the Browns, New York now has the No. 42 and 43 overall picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Per the draft trade value chart, that’s the equivalent of the No. 17 overall pick. Thus, the Jets would conceivably be able to deal those two second-round picks to equate to a first-rounder.

On the other hand, there could just be a sense in Green Bay that they want to get a deal done, thus softening the stance that their asking price is a first-round pick.

Whatever the case, everything about the Aaron Rodgers trade saga to this point has been tiresome and plodding. So even with the asking price softening for a deal, the fact that Gutekunst can only hope that a deal happens soon means that we shouldn’t stay up waiting for the trade to happen in the nearing days.