Woody Johnson Balk on Aaron Rodgers Deal has Slowed It Down

 New York Jets Woody Johnson might be the one who has poured cold water on the Aaron Rodgers trade -- at least in the interim -- according to Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson. 

 

Appearing as a guest on ESPN Milwaukee's Wilde and Taucsch, the Jets and Packers had the framework of a deal in place that included a 2023 2nd round pick, a 2024 first round pick, guaranteed, and the Packers willingness to send the JEts back a 2025 pick should Rodgers retire after one season. 

And the Jets reneged. 

 

Why? Because the Jets didn't like it when Rodgers announced on the Pat McAfee show that Rodgers was "90 percent" certain about retirement before going into his darkness retreat. As a result, Johnson, thinking about the situation the Denver Broncos find themselves in with Russell Wilson, and the Rams find themselves in with an injured Matthew Stafford and no draft picks in the first round, put the kebash on the deal. 

As Robinson described, and I paraphrase -- the Jets and Woody Johnson didn't feel comfortable about giving up a guaranteed first round pick to Green Bay when there is no guarantee Rodgers might play, even a whole year with Gang Green. The Jets would like to have Rodgers for two years at the very least. 

In a way you can't blame Johnson for feeling this way. There is a lot of uncertainty in the future, and the Jets would been tethering themselves to a quarterback who doesn't necessarily want to play for more than a year. 

At the same time, the Jets had every opportunity to avoid this mess. They had Derek Carr in the building, liked him, but decided to go the Rodgers route. 

They could have pivoted and kicked the tires on Lamar Jackson -- none doing. They could have tried to make a play for any of the other free agent quarterbacks, but they all went off the board quickly. 

So the Jets are stuck. It's Rodgers or bust at this point. 

Off-season programs begin on Monday and the Jets do not have a settled quarterback situation, and there is no telling when this will get settled. 

Draft Day? That is a critical juncture at this point. A deal could still happen and be in place by then, but if it goes beyond that, what happens next? Do the Jets and Packers try it again for a deal? Do the Jets wash their hands of it and try to make a deal with someone like Tennessee for Ryan Tannehill -- if they want to move from him? Carson Wentz is a free agent still, do the Jets go there? 

The questions are manifold, and the confusion is incredible.