Aaron Rodgers intends to play for the New York Jets: Longtime Packers QB breaks silence on trade rumors

It's finally official: Aaron Rodgers wants to play for the New York Jets.

While no deal is currently in place, the longtime Green Bay Packers signal-caller made his intentions clear on the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday afternoon.

“Since Friday, I made it clear my intention is to play and my intention is to play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers told the show. “The Packers would like to move on. They let me know that in so many words. I still have that fire and I want to play.”

The move would give the Jets a quarterback who they believe can instantly turn the team into contenders in a loaded AFC — something that doesn’t feel like too much of a stretch, given how competitive they were with so little at the position last season.

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Last season, Rodgers earned his lowest PFF overall grade since 2015, but it was still good enough to rank 14th among all players at the position.

The veteran passer produced 33 big-time throws in 2022, tied with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the fourth-most in the league. However, he also recorded 18 turnover-worthy plays, tied for the second-most in any season of his career.

But while his 2022 grade was below Rodgers’ usual standards, it was still better than the PFF grade produced by any Jets quarterback with 75 or more dropbacks since PFF began grading back in 2006.

Jets’ Highest graded season quarterbacks by season since 2006

For the Packers, it means the Jordan Love era can officially begin.

Drafted with the 26th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, Love has dropped back just 91 times in his first three seasons in the NFL. His play in 2022 will give Packers fans some encouragement, though, with Love going 14-for-21 (including three dropped passes) and producing a 78.7 PFF grade, albeit on just 21 dropbacks.

His best season in college came for the Utah State Aggies in 2018, with his 82.6 PFF passing grade on the year ranking 19th among all college signal-callers with at least 100 dropbacks.

The draft capital from the potential trade would give the Packers another building block for them to surround Love with talent as they evaluate whether he is the long-term answer at the position.

For better or worse, Love’s time has come for the Packers. And one way or another, they will finally find out what they have in him. Meanwhile, Rodgers will look to repeat the success Tom Brady found in moving to a new home late in his career.

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Rodgers slipped to QB13 last season after finishing in the top 10 in either fantasy points or fantasy points per game every season from 2008 to 2021.

The trade gives Rodgers a chance to return to the top 10, as he now lands with an improved Jets receiving group led by star wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

Wilson’s 85.9 receiving grade ranked fifth among rookie wide receivers in the last decade despite finishing second in the league in uncatchable targets (47). His 215.7 PPR points finished 21st among all wide receivers, and this move will only push the young pass-catcher up the rankings.

Rodgers is also 39 years old and is coming off his second-lowest-graded season as a starter, and there's a chance he could be a player on the decline.

Wilson will still be a fantasy starter, even if he can’t reach the top 10 or 15, but Rodgers’ days of being a surefire fantasy starter could be over. Anyone drafting him for fantasy football should also have a backup plan.