The Packers traded four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Jets on Monday in exchange for a swap of first-round picks and a second-round pick in this week’s draft, and a conditional second-round pick in 2024 that becomes a first-round pick if Rodgers plays at least 65 percent of the snaps next season. A couple of late-round picks were also involved.
The Jordan Love era can now get underway – 1096 days after he was selected 26th overall in the 2020 draft. When the former Utah State star takes his first snap of the season in mid-September, he’ll become just the third quarterback to start an opening game for the Packers in 31 years – joining Brett Favre (1992 through 2007) and Rodgers (2008 through 2022).
Not moving on from Rodgers a year ago probably cost the Packers at least three or four high draft picks, but to be fair, it would’ve been very bold to trade a quarterback coming off an MVP and 13-win season. Very few franchises would’ve had the foresight and, more importantly, the cojones to make such a decision. So even though I strongly advocated for dealing Rodgers as far back as the spring of 2021, I’m not going to belabor what might’ve been. What’s done is (finally) done.
From what I can tell from the cesspool that is Twitter, the majority of Packers fans seem to have mixed emotions today. Some are sad that arguably the greatest player in franchise history will be wearing a different shade of green in 2023, while others are excited to get a chance to see what Love can do. The 24-year-old has attempted only 83 passes in his career.
Mixed emotions certainly weren’t the case 15 years ago when another iconic Packers quarterback was traded to the Jets. A sizeable portion of the fan base was furious after Favre was sent away. Protests were held outside of Lambeau Field, countless angry calls were made to team president Bob Harlan, and hearty boos greeted Rodgers, general manager Ted Thompson, and coach Mike McCarthy at practice. Thankfully, these scenes won’t be repeated in the coming weeks and months.
While Rodgers was a better player, and in spite of some of his actions and comments the past couple of years, a better human being than Favre, he was never quite as beloved by the fan base. That’s probably because No. 4 celebrated each touchdown pass as if it were his first, while No. 12 treated most scores as inevitable due to his incredibly high skill level. While the end result may have been the same, people, especially those living in northern Wisconsin, simply grew more attached to the emotional gunslinger from Kiln, Mississippi, than they did to the silky smooth operator from Chico, California.
Favre’s popularity, along with the clumsiness of his exit, put intense pressure on Rodgers from day one. He handled things admirably, and by midway through his first season as a starter, even diehard fans of his predecessor knew the franchise was in good hands. Love will have it much easier, at least for a while. He won’t have to deal with protests outside his workplace or people cursing at him on the practice field. He’ll feel the kind of goodwill never afforded to Rodgers in the tumultuous summer of 2008. Of course, those positive vibes won’t last if Love doesn’t perform well in September.
Before the start of the 2008 season, I wrote a story titled “Packers are in good hands with Rodgers.” Even though the former Cal star struggled early in his career and threw only 59 passes in his first three seasons, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he would be good. I loved his college tape and was in awe of how effortlessly and accurately he threw the ball in practice. I won’t be writing any such story about Love, who reminded me of DeShone Kizer going into the 2020 draft and whose work at Ray Nitschke Field wasn’t nearly as impressive – at least on the handful of afternoons I was in attendance.
So why would a person so skeptical about Love’s future be so excited to see Rodgers traded? Because football will be fun again. I found myself less invested than ever before the past two seasons, and that included all the meaningless December games in the 1980s. Part of it was feeling that regardless of how many victories the Packers amassed from September through December, they’d find a way to lose in January. And if I’m being perfectly honest, part of it was simply being tired of Rodgers – the person, not the QB. From demanding a trade to lying about being vaccinated to dabbling in truly insane conspiracies, he had become insufferable, and that was before he spent last season missing open receivers, throwing interceptions, and blaming everybody around him as the Packers lost eight of their first 12 games.
Despite coming off arguably the worst season of his long career, it won’t surprise me a bit to see Rodgers thrive with the Jets. He’s still a top-10 quarterback, even nine months shy of his 40th birthday, and for one of the few times in his long career, he’ll be supported by a strong defense. And as Packers fans found out in the two seasons after Love was drafted, a motivated Rodgers is the best Rodgers. Twenty-six regular season wins, and a pair of MVPs is proof of that hypothesis.
There’s a very real chance the Jets could be 9-4 heading into December while the Packers are floundering at 4-9. It’s easy to forget after so much success that Rodgers went 6-10 in his first season as a starter, and he was throwing the ball to proven receivers Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and James Jones, and future stars Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley. Love won’t be surrounded by nearly as much natural talent at the skill positions when he takes the field in the fall.
Could Love and the Packers be better than Rodgers and the Jets in 2023? Anything’s possible. Love showed noticeable improvement last summer and certainly possesses the skill set to succeed at this level. My concerns have always been about the mental part of the game. I still have flashbacks to the 17 picks he threw as a junior. But that was a long time ago, and not every turnover-prone college QB becomes a turnover-prone pro QB, although, to be honest, that’s often the case.
Regardless of how much Love and the Packers might struggle next season, and it could be a great deal, nobody should look back at today as a mistake. General manager Brian Gutekunst did what had to be done. Rodgers wasn’t going to bring the Lombardi Trophy home after a dozen years of trying, and it was time to get a look at Love four years into his rookie deal. If things go well next season, the franchise might’ve found its third consecutive franchise quarterback. If things go poorly, the Packers will likely pick high enough in the first round of the 2024 draft to make a serious run at Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, or whichever signal caller shoots up boards between now and then.
As mentioned earlier, as difficult as it would’ve been, this trade should’ve been consummated at least a year ago. The Packers would’ve received a significantly better return for Rodgers, and they would’ve had a lot more time to evaluate Love before deciding in early May whether to pick up his fifth-year option worth approximately $20 million. But that’s water under the bridge, and now Green Bay will either sink or swim with Love. As the old saying goes, better late than never.
You’re absolutely right. It became all so exhausting being a Packer fan these last few years. Rodgers became bigger than the team and it ultimately turned many fans off. Especially with his “I’m smarter than everyone else” attitude. Favre, even with his many faults, was always more likable and relatable to the masses. Gutekunst really had no choice but to bring Rodgers back last year. Rodgers wanted to come back. For someone so opposed with the way management handled his buddies departures and lack of input in personnel moves, he had an out to go to Denver last year and didn’t take it. Truth be told, he really didn’t want to go to New York now. It was time.
Great article Michael! Nicely written.
Thanks, CJS!
Great post.
Rodgers was a pain in the ass the past few years, but have no ill toward him. He was a great player, and while his exit was a little clumsy, it wasn’t toxic like Favre’s. I remember Favre ripping the organization on TV, and offering advice to opponents of the Packers after he was traded. I didn’t bother to watch when he was honored at Lambeau a few years ago. But I’ll be cheering when Rodgers returns to see his number retired.
Good piece, Michael. This is no doubt an historic occasion. Sad, in a way, to see the end of this amazing run of QB play. Astonishing to have had essentially 30-plus years of HOF QB play. That’s just unreal and amazing and as fans we’ve been spoiled – even with the playoff disappointments. Rodgers was an incredibly talented player who was a lot of fun – for years – to watch. This season though was just brutal. The cameras , of course, loved to pick up on all of his bodily experessions and it was hard to warch. It was just so clear that it was ready to move on – underscored by the abysmal display against Detroit.
But I, like most Packer fans, are looking ahead. Exciting, but we know that there’s just no replacing Rodgers. Just won’t happen. My fear – and I see this as the most likely possibility – is that, even though the Packers will be well-situated to get up in next year’s draft for a QB, Love will be somewhere in the middle: neither clearly a bust nor a slam-dunk elite QB. I hope I’m wrong – honestly, him even being a bust would be fine – but that’s kind of the way I see it playing out. Basically what Fields has done in CHI is that kind of thing.
Grateful for Rodgers and happy for his positive words about GB but really glad that this is over with and that Gutey is situated to begin rebuilding this team with his guys and so we’ll know either way whether Gutey and LaFleur are legit.
Bittersweet day. Great article.
I remember 2008 vividly, and that is also when I discovered this site. It was an oasis of sanity in an otherwise crazy time, and I was grateful to finally find a Packer writer that wasn’t a homer.
It’s pretty cool to see the majority of fans realizing this and to be done, and much less drama this time. Maybe that unity was worth a pick or two. Maybe it would have been the same next year.
Thanks for the memories, 12. Good luck in NY.
The edit function isn’t particularly great on the phone. Bad for poor typers like me.
It’s pretty cool to see the majority of fans realizing this had to be done and to see much less drama this time. Maybe that unity was worth a pick or two. Maybe it would have been the same last year.
it is weird.. i am looking forward to seeing Love play for the Pack; however, at the moment, i am also hoping Rodgers does well in NY. maybe cognitive dissonance will come to me later when i focus more on the Packers’ 2024 draft compensation. at the moment, i am a Packers fan.. AND.. a brand new Jets fan.
one more thing: i think about, compared to how Farve treated Rodgers during the transition years, how Rodgers has treated Jordan Love. by supporting Love, Rodgers has been taking the higher ground over the last three years.. pretty amazing. oh.. and Rodgers showing flexibility with Jets fans by changing his number from #12 to #8 in a voluntary honoring of Joe Namath’s legacy.. that is high character stuff. that is Rodgers, not someone whispering advice in his ear. i think Rodgers’ new organization and Jets’ fans will soon recognize that they gained a stand up guy to play for them.