Aaron Rodgers is convinced he’s moved to the right place. And the new quarterback for the New York Jets thinks they can achieve great things together.
To much fanfare, the Jets unveiled the four-time NFL MVP on Wednesday in the team auditorium packed with reporters, coaches and other staff — surrounded on stage by chief quarterback Robert Saleh to his left and General manager Joe Douglas to his right.
“This is a surreal day for me,” said the 39-year-old star. The team finally made the trade for Rodgers official moments before he walked into the auditorium.
what a day pic.twitter.com/NLNo8Fm0Ql
— New York Jets (@nyjets) April 26, 2023
The Jets got Rodgers, the 15th overall pick and another fifth-round pick this year from the Packers. In exchange, Green Bay will receive the 13th pick in the draft, a second-round pick, a sixth-round pick and a second-round pick in 2024 that could end up in the first round if Rodgers ends up playing 65% of New York’s snaps this week. season.
Rodgers spent his first 18 NFL seasons with Green Bay. He won a Super Bowl with the Packers, establishing himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
“That chapter is closed and I am excited about the new adventure in New York,” said Rodgers.
Rodgers said he leaned toward the Jets because he believed in the direction of the franchise project with a core of players including Garrett Wilson, the offensive rookie of the year, and Willow Gardner, the defensive rookie of the year.
“I’m an old man, so I want to be in a team to win it all and I think we can do it here,” he said.
Rodgers knows well about the Jets’ drought without qualifying for the playoffs. Those 12 years without advancing to the postseason are the longest active streak in the NFL. And he also knows that the team hasn’t been to a Super Bowl since Joe Namath led them to the championship game in 1969.
“That Super Bowl III trophy is pretty much used up,” Rodgers said.
He did not want to commit to playing beyond this season, indicating that he is focused on next year and staying in the New York area “for the immediate future.”
“I don’t want to be the savior of anything,” Rodgers insisted.