NY Jets and Packers haven't spoken about Aaron Rodgers trade in weeks

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Aaron Rodgers / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Aaron Rodgers trade is going to happen. The NY Jets know this. The Green Bay Packers know this. Anyone suggesting anything otherwise is either misinformed or intentionally misleading.

The question remains when, not if, the Rodgers trade will become official. The hope has been that the two sides would work out a deal before the 2023 NFL Draft, but that seems less likely as the days go on.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday morning that the Jets and Packers have not had much, if any, discussion about a Rodgers trade over the last couple of weeks.

Schefter insists that both teams are "dug in" and that neither side appears willing to budge. With just over two weeks remaining until the NFL Draft, that doesn't leave the Jets and Packers much time to work out a deal.

There's a very real chance this situation drags on into the summer. That benefits no one, but if both teams remain stubborn, we might not see a resolution anytime soon.

What happens if the NY Jets don't trade for Aaron Rodgers before the 2023 NFL Draft?

The next deadline in this saga is theoretically Apr. 17. Next Monday, Rodgers is technically allowed to show up to the start of the Packers' offseason program if a deal hasn't been reached.

Now, Rodgers hasn't been present for one of these programs in years, but if he wants to stir the pot and generate some drama, he's well within his right to make an appearance.

Assuming that doesn't happen, and assuming Rodgers isn't traded before the draft, the next opportunity for him to show up would be OTAs in late May. Seeing as those are voluntary, however, it seems unlikely he's in attendance.

The real issue comes if he's not traded before Green Bay's mandatory minicamp which runs from June 13-15. Would the Packers really want to risk Rodgers showing up and potentially getting hurt? Would the Jets even be comfortable with that?

Essentially, the Jets and Packers are in a big game of chicken. Neither side wants to budge as both teams look to extract any form of leverage they have from the situation.

Ultimately, neither team has much leverage. The Rodgers trade has to get done, and it would benefit both sides — primarily the Packers — to get it done before the 2023 NFL Draft in a couple of weeks.

The Jets and Packers don't appear to be in any hurry, but they probably should be. They have two weeks to finalize a trade. If not, things will get even messier than they already are.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.