Packers and Jets finalize Aaron Rodgers trade, including Round 1 pick swap and No. 42

For years, drama has been swirling between the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. For weeks, months at this point, the Packers and New York Jets have been working on a trade to send Rodgers to the Big Apple.

On Monday, with a full three days to go before the 2023 NFL Draft, it finally happened.

Rodgers is headed to New York. The Packers are getting a substantial haul of draft picks. And Jordan Love is finally — officially — the Packers’ starting quarterback.

Adam Schefter of ESPN had the news first. According to his reports, the Packers and Jets will swap first-round picks, with the Packers receiving #13 and the Jets getting #15 back. Green Bay also receives the 42nd overall pick in the draft, the second-rounder that New York acquired from the Cleveland Browns recently in a trade, while the two sides will swap picks in the 5th and sixth rounds. Green Bay will also receive a 2nd-round pick in 2024, which could upgrade to a first-rounder if Rodgers plays at least 65 percent of the Jets’ offensive snaps in 2023.

Nowhere is there a mention of the Packers sending back a pick in 2025 if Rodgers does not play in 2024. Nor is there any mention of a condition regarding that 2024 pick’s level being contingent on the Jets’ success in 2023.

Again: Green Bay will get to head into the draft now two spots higher in round one, while landing another second-round pick as well.

Here is the full compensation of the trade:

Packers Receive

• Jets 2023 1st-round pick (#13)
• Jets 2023 2nd-round pick (#42, originally from Browns)
• Jets 2023 6th-round pick (#207)
• Conditional 2024 draft pick — 2nd rounder that increases to a 1st-rounder if Rodgers plays at least 65% of snaps in 2023

Jets Receive

• Aaron Rodgers
• Packers 2023 1st-round pick (#15)
• Packers 2023 5th-round pick (#170)

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke to reports in a scheduled press conference almost immediately after news broke, noting that the deal is not yet finalized, and that there are a few hurdles to finish. This likely refers to Rodgers passing his physical exam with the Jets and perhaps the Jets working out some restructuring of Rodgers’ contract.

Here’s the upshot: Rodgers is a Jet and the Packers are getting significant value in both the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts as a result. Stay tuned for more details.