The Packers Also Suffered Because of Aaron Rodgers’ Injury
Dustin Baker
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It was supposed to be a no-brainer.
If Aaron Rodgers played 65% of offensive snaps for the 2023 New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers would own the Jets 1st-Round draft pick in 2024.
The Packers Also Suffered Because of Aaron Rodgers’ Injury
But then Monday Night Football happened.
Rodgers was sacked on his fourth play as a Jet, immediately curling to the ground with what was later revealed as a torn Achilles tendon. The soon-to-be 40-year-old will miss the rest of the season, and his career status is in jeopardy.
And in the aftermath of the grim Rodgers news, the Packers confronted a harsh reality, too, tweeted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday morning, “With Aaron Rodgers done for the season, the Jets now will owe the Packers a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Rodgers had to play 65 percent of the snaps this season for the Packers to get the Jets’ 2024 first-round pick. He played four plays.”
The deal sweetener — for the Jets — ensures no matter how poorly the rest of the 2023 campaign goes for New York, Green Bay will not seize the Jets 1st-Rounder, which felt like a sure bet one day ago. Of course, if the Jets stink in 2023, the Packers will receive a high 2nd-Round pick, but Green Bay loyalists had high hopes for a 1st-Rounder, especially if the Rodgers-led Jets experiment went poorly per wins and losses.
Green Bay has already turned the fruit of the Rodgers trade into Lukas Van Ness (DE), Luke Musgrave (TE), and Anders Carlson (K), courtesy of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Rodgers said in early August about his Jets relationship, “This is going to be a few years partnership.”
We shall see if that rings true in 2024 and beyond because a torn Achilles for a 40-year-old is a new elephant in the room.
New York will continue to lean on Zach Wilson indefinitely, who led the Jets to victory over the Bills on Monday night but looked shaky along the way. Wilson matured this summer with Rodgers as a built-in mentor, but it is unclear if Wilson will morph into a franchise quarterback after struggling in 2021 and 2022 — maybe, maybe not.
The Jets woke up Monday morning with +1,800 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII. As of Tuesday morning, the probability plunged to +6500.
The Packers handily won their Week 1 matchup at the Chicago Bears, thumping the division rival 38-20.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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