There has been speculation for a long time, now it is official. Aaron Rodgers wants to leave the Green Bay Packers and play for the New York Jets in the future.

Aaron Rodgers has finally let the cat out of the bag: He wants to leave the Green Bay Packers and join the New York Jets.

But why is the 39-year-old so keen to join the recently unsuccessful franchise? And what has to happen now for the mega-trade? And what about the emotional world of the quarterback?

What did Rodgers say?

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday on the “Pat McAfee Show” that he wants to play for the New York Jets in the future. He said he made that decision on Friday. He said he had already informed the Packers of that decision. “I’ve made it clear that it’s my intention to play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers said.

How did Rodgers come to this decision?

Rodgers had prescribed himself a four-day sabbatical at a dark retreat. Before this so-called “dark retreat”, he had been 90 per cent sure that he wanted to end his career. During the spiritual rest, however, his mind changed.

He wants to continue playing football, but is striving for a change: “I love this city, I love this organisation and I will always have love for this organisation. But the fact is they want to move on now and I want to move on now and I want to move on now. “

Where do we go from here?

With Rodgers’ statement, the trade to the Jets has moved closer. According to “ESPN”, the Packers and the Jets are in contact with each other to work out the details of a possible trade.

The key aspects are the restructuring of Rodgers’ contract with the Packers, which actually runs through and including the 2026 season, and the consideration for Rodgers in a trade.

What is the structure of Rodgers’ contract?

Rodgers’ current contract runs through and including the 2026 season, but includes an opt-out option after the 2023 season. For the 2023 season, his contract is worth $59.465 million in salary and bonus. The bulk of that is the $58.3 million bonus, which is due no later than Week 1 of the 2023 season.

If Rodgers leaves the Packers, Green Bay would enter the season with $40.3 million in dead money. The Jets’ salary cap, on the other hand, would be hit with just $15.8 million in 2023 and $32.5 million in the 2024 season. For a quarterback of his quality, those are “cap-friendly” figures.

How close is the contact between Rodgers and the Jets?

There is already close contact between Rodgers and the Jets. Several Jets officials, including owner Woody Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas, head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett flew to California last week to meet with Rodgers.

Rodgers is already said to be influencing the Jets’ personnel planning. According to “ESPN”, he sent the Jets a wish list of free agents he would like to have on the team. Rodgers on the one hand emphatically called this report “ridiculous”, but admitted that he was asked by Jets officials about players with whom he has already played.

The influence is already being felt: one of Rodgers’ recommendations is said to have been his former Packers pass receiver Allen Lazard, who has now actually signed a contract with the Jets. And who else is coming? Odell Beckham Jr. is said to be one of Rodgers’ preferred players.

Why is Rodgers so desperate to join the Jets?

Multiple reasons likely play into the decision. For example, Rodgers says, “There’s a coach that means as much to me as a coach can mean to me, and he’s the coordinator there.”

Meaning offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who served in the same role with the Packers from 2019 to 2021 and worked closely with Rodgers during that time.

The Jets are also an up-and-coming team that managed “only” seven wins last season, but started the season with a strong 7-4 record. The fact that the cosmopolitan city of New York offers a possibly higher standard of living than the area around Green Bay could also be an argument.

What do the Green Bay Packers want?

The Green Bay Packers are no longer planning on using their longtime quarterback. Packers president Mark Murphy already made it clear last week that Rodgers’ return to the team would not be the organization’s first choice.

Instead, they now hope to find a “win-win solution” for the four-time MVP and the team.

What kind of feeling would Rodgers leave the Packers with?

Rodgers once again made it clear how much Green Bay means to him. “I got to be the Packers’ starting quarterback for 15 years. So, I love you, Green Bay. Thank you so much. I’m just as sad as some of you, but we’ll see each other again.”

His only criticism was of Packers officials, saying, “I just would have liked to have seen better communication at the beginning of the offseason. “