For the second time, the Packers traded a legend to the Jets.
It was decided Monday that Green Bay would trade quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. This is the second time that Green Bay traded an icon to the Jets. The first time a star quarterback was traded was in 2008 when Brett Favre went to the Jets. Favre played from 1992 to 2007 for Green Bay and played only one year for the Jets.
Favre was considered one of the greatest quarterbacks for Green Bay and now it is Rodgers. When Favre was the main quarterback for the Packers, Rodgers was a rookie who learned a lot from Favre. Originally from Chico, California, Rodgers went to UC Berkeley in 2003 and became the quarterback for the Golden Bears.
Rodgers was drafted into the NFL when he was 21 years old starting an unforgettable career with Green Bay. Rodgers played a total of 18 seasons for Green Bay from 2005 to 2022. On Monday during a pre-draft news conference, Green Bay’s general manager Brian Gutekunst was reluctant to say much about the trade.
During Gutekunst’s annual news conference, he said there are a few details to be sorted through with the trade. Gutekunst said Rodgers has to take his physical exam to proceed with the process. Since Rodgers is currently traded to New York, the Jets should become a prime-time team when the television schedule for the NFL is announced next month.
It is the biggest trade in the Jets’ history after being disappointed by years of losing and second-class quarterback play. They haven’t made the playoffs in 12 years and hope to break that streak soon with Rodgers on the team.
Rodgers will be greatly missed by the fans of Green Bay especially since he played for them for almost two decades. Rodgers is beloved by Green Bay’s fanbase and has been essentially the face of the team. This makes Rodgers being traded very significant, let alone to the Jets.
Another significant reason is that Rodgers is leaving for another football conference. Rodgers is leaving the National Football Conference and going to the American Football Conference. Rodgers will rarely play against Green Bay in the future since they are not part of the same division. The next time Rodgers will play against Green Bay is in three years unless the two meet in the Super Bowl.
Even though this marks the end of an age for Green Bay, hopefully, Rodgers is more successful with the Jets than Favre. Green Bay looks to rebuild for the first time in many years, while the Jets are finally back in contention for a playoff spot.