Three ways the Green Bay Packers lose the Aaron Rodgers trade

The Green Bay Packers are parting ways with four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

A few details still need to be worked out with the New York Jets, but for all intents and purposes, Rodgers is on his way to the Big Apple.

The Aaron Rodgers era ends much like the Brett Favre ended. The only exception is that the Packers got a better return in the Rodgers trade than in the Favre trade.

The Green Bay Packers swapped first-round picks with the Jets in Thursday’s draft. The Pack moved up two spots in the first round. Green Bay also got a second-round and a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft along with a conditional 2024 second-round selection. The pick can become a round one if Rodgers plays in 65% of the Jets’ plays.

The Jets are getting Green Bay’s fifth-round choice in this year’s draft to complete the trade.

That is a good return Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst received from the Jets after almost a month and a half of negotiations.

Add in the Green Bay Packers were able to shed Aaron Rodgers’ $60 million salary-cap hit, and it is even more amazing that Gutekunst got this package of draft picks.

The haul is also pretty good for a quarterback coming off a subpar season by his standards and will turn 40 in December. The Jets were desperate to get Rodgers and Gutekunst exploited that to get two premium picks back.

In addition, the Packers rid themselves of a player who started to wear out his welcome in Green Bay.

There are three ways the Packers could end up the losers in this deal.

The Jets look good in this transaction if Rodgers leads them to the Super Bowl. New York’s AFC team is going all in with this trade.

The Jets had a solid defense last year along with talented young players on offense, but quarterback Zach Wilson’s inconsistent play derailed the team’s playoff hopes.

That is why the Jets pursued Rodgers this offseason. If he can deliver the franchise’s first Super Bowl win since Joe Namath’s famous big game victory guarantee in 1969, then the price they paid will be well worth it.

Think about it, Richard Nixon was president the last time the Jets won the Super Bowl. The Jets were still part of another league since the NFL-AFL merger was not completed until 1970.

If Rodgers ends a 54-year championship drought, New York will not care what price the Jets paid to get him.

The Green Bay Packers could also look like losers if Jordan Love does not become the Pack’s next great quarterback. Green Bay has enjoyed 31 years of quarterback greatness. Favre is in the Hall of Fame, and Rodgers will be there someday. Love might not get there, but he has to show at least he can be a franchise quarterback.

If Love fails, Green Bay will be known as the franchise that traded away one of the greatest quarterbacks because he would not pick up the phone. This was an organization that allowed Brett Favre to flirt with retirement for five offseasons before finally moving on. Gutekunst decided to move on from Rodgers because of a lack of communication. This was the general manager who gave Rodgers a huge contract extension the offseason before.

It would not be a great look if Love fails and Rodgers thrives with another team. It would be even worse to move on from Aaron because he wanted to spend more time going on a darkness retreat an offseason after being handed a huge payday.

The final way Green Bay can lose this trade is if they make the wrong picks. They need to hit with this newly acquired draft capital. If Gutekunst picks incorrectly, a golden opportunity to add good players will be missed.

Green Bay looks like the clear winner in this trade, but time will tell if the Jets come out as the victors.