By Alex Al-Kazzaz
After over 40 days of waiting and wondering, the move has finally happened. Not long ago, Aaron Rodgers was on the Pat McAfee show and he expressed intentions to play for the New York Jets. Therefore, it's official; the Rodgers era at Lambeau is over.
Along with Rodgers, the Jets also swap their first round pick with Green Bay and now have the 15th overall pick for later this week. New York also received a 2023 fifth-round pick. The Packers receive the 13th overall pick along with a second-round and sixth round pick for this week's draft. In addition, they get a conditional 2024 second-round pick, which can become a first-round pick provided Rodgers plays 65 percent of the plays this coming season.
For at least three years now, it went back and forth on whether Rodgers had played for Green Bay for the last time. Last year, the world thought he was on his way out, but it didn't happen. Rodgers instead signed a new deal. The Packers didn't make the playoffs in 2022.
The four-time NFL MVP will be 40 in December. There's still heavy speculation about how many years left he's got to offer. But as far as the Jets go, the question now is what will they do with Zach Wilson? Maybe the only thing to do is to have him sit under the Rodgers' learning tree. The Jets have not played the playoffs since 2010.
For Green Bay, has the Jordan Love era just now gotten started? The Packers selected Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. He was under the learning tree for three years and the time has come for him to solidify himself as the franchise's next superstar. Love went through the same exact process Rodgers did from 2005 to 2007.