When the Green Bay Packers traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, most Cheeseheads felt a bit conflicted. On one hand, it was easy to see this coming, and the idea of seeing what Jordan Love could do after years of waiting was intriguing. On the other hand, the Packers traded a future Hall of Famer away just to commit to a complete unknown.
It's safe to say that the Rodgers trade could not have worked out much better for Green Bay. Not only has Rodgers had far more downs than ups in New York since the deal, but Jordan Love is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Additionally, the Packers made the playoffs last season and will get back there in 2024. Rodgers likely won't ever play in a playoff game with the Jets.
As weird as it is to see Rodgers in another uniform, Packers fans should be grateful that he's gone. Three other players fit the same criteria.
3) Allen Lazard has been a complete waste of money for the Jets
With it looking like Rodgers was going to be traded to the Jets, it was only right to see Allen Lazard head to New York with him. He inked a four-year deal worth $44 million to join Rodgers in New York.
This felt like a fairly big loss for Green Bay, as with Davante Adams in Las Vegas, Lazard was the team's leader in receptions (60), targets (100), and yards (788). Lazard set career-highs in all three of those statistics, while also recording the second-most receiving touchdowns (6) in a single season of his career.
Since going to New York, though, Lazard has been a virtual non-factor. He struggled so mightily last season to the point where he was benched and dangled in trade rumors over the offseason. He has played a bit better this season with Rodgers healthy, but he has also played in just nine games.
With Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Dontayvion Wicks on the roster, the Packers are younger and a whole lot more dynamic than they were with Lazard. He had some good memories in Green Bay, but there was never a need for the team to come close to giving him the contract he ended up getting.
2) The Packers upgraded in a big way from Darnell Savage
Ever since he was drafted in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Packers, Darnell Savage was a constant in their secondary. His pick-six in last season's NFC Wild Card Round won't be forgotten anytime soon.
Given all that Savage accomplished in Green Bay, it felt as if the team would express interest in re-signing him as a free agent this past offseason. That didn't end up happening, and he inked a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
While Savage was a productive player for most of his five-year tenure in Green Bay, the Packers wound up making one of the best moves in free agency, replacing Savage with Xavier McKinney, one of the best defensive players in all of football. McKinney has a league-leading seven interceptions and 75 tackles this season while Savage has one interception and 41 tackles.
Savage wasn't bad, but the between him and McKinney is quite stark. It's a swap any Packers fan is thrilled with.
1) Aaron Jones' shocking release proved to be for the best
One of the most shocking moves in free agency saw the Packers sign Josh Jacobs. Don't get me wrong, Jacobs had a strong tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders, but the Packers already had Aaron Jones on their team. Jones might've been older than Jacobs, but when healthy, he had been nothing but productive with the Packers. Signing Jacobs led to the team releasing Jones days later.
Jones latched on with the Vikings and has had a strong year. He's racked up 979 yards on the ground to go along with five touchdowns while averaging more than 4.5 yards per carry for the 12-2 Vikings. As impressive as Jones has been, Jacobs has been even better.
In the 14 games Jacobs has appeared in, he has rushed for 1,147 yards and 12 touchdowns while also tacking on 31 receptions for 302 yards in the air. Jacobs ranks third in the NFL in rushing yards and tied for fourth in touchdowns. He's ahead of Jones in both categories by pretty wide margins despite playing in the same number of games.
Jacobs has seen more work than Jones, but it's easier for the Packers to feed Jacobs when he's four years younger than his predecessor.
This isn't to say Jones is bad. In fact, he's played quite well in Minnesota. With how well Jacobs has played in Green Bay, though, the Packers are better off, especially with age being taken into account.