It was one of the most surreal scenes in Jets history.
Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, standing in the team’s auditorium Wednesday, holding a green No. 8 jersey with his name on it and posing for photos with the Jets’ brass.
For months, we have known a trade between the Jets and Packers for Rodgers was likely.
Still, actually seeing Rodgers holding a Jets jersey and speaking about winning a championship was hard to wrap your brain around.
The Jets have had some memorable press conferences in their recent history, but most have been remembered negatively — Bill Belichick resigning as “HC of the NYJ,” Tim Tebow getting a royal welcome for a backup quarterback, John Idzik rambling through a speech that defied belief, and Adam Gase’s crazy eyes taking over the internet.
Aaron Rodgers traded to the Jets
On Monday, after months of speculation and rumors, the Jets and Packers came to an agreement on a trade that brings four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to New York.
The trade immediately upgrades the Jets from rising team to playoff contender with the hopes that Rodgers will help break one of the longest active postseason droughts in sports.
The trade
The Jets receive: Aaron Rodgers, No. 15 pick (2023) and No. 170 pick (2023).
The Packers receive: No. 13 pick (2023), No. 42 pick (2023), No. 207 pick (2023) and a conditional second-round 2024 draft pick that conveys to a first-rounder if Rodgers plays 65% of the Jets’ plays in 2023.
What comes next
The trade still needs to be finalized — the terms of Rodgers’ contract need to be worked out — and sent to the NFL.
Both teams will begin feeling this deal as early as Thursday at the 2023 NFL Draft.
For the Packers, it’s now about getting fourth-year QB Jordan Love ready to take over. With Gang Green, it’s about getting a whole host of new faces on the same page offensively.
But this was different.
This was a celebration.
While fans rightly only focus on players and coaches, there are hundreds of people who work for the Jets.
Their emotions and moods are often tied to how the team performs.
Losing makes working for the Jets harder: It’s harder to sell tickets.
It’s harder to gain fan interest.
It’s harder to come to work.
There have been times when the depression inside the offices is palpable.
On Wednesday, there was hope again.
The press conference had not just reporters in there.
Jets staffers filled the back rows of the auditorium.
Those were the people you heard clapping when Woody Johnson spoke.
You could feel their excitement and joy at the prospect of having a true superstar in the building again.
That was just one of my takeaways from the big day.
Here are a few others:
1. It was so refreshing to hear Rodgers talk about winning a Super Bowl.
For years, that has been taboo around the Jets.
Rex Ryan used to do it, but even he shied away from it in the end.
But not since Ryan has anyone truly spoken passionately about winning it all.
Robert Saleh did a little bit when he was hired, but he goes mealy-mouthed when you ask him directly about the team winning it this year.
It is always about winning it at some undetermined time in the future.
The organization has scars.
It has been made fun of a lot, and people inside the organization always seem to live in fear of providing more fodder.
Rodgers has none of that baggage.
Rodgers hit all the right notes on Wednesday.
The line about the “lonely” Super Bowl III trophy was perfect.
He said there are 8-12 teams that can win the Super Bowl each year, and the Jets are one of them.
That is not a guaranteeing a Super Bowl win, but it is also not shying away from high expectations.
Rodgers has swagger.
You have to believe teammates are going to love that about him, and when he sets the expectations high, they will embrace it.
2. I know some people were upset that Rodgers would not definitively commit to playing in 2024, but reading between the lines, I don’t think fans should worry.
After the formal press conference, Rodgers told a smaller group of reporters he does not view this as “one-and-done.”
My sense is Rodgers just does not want to box himself into a corner publicly.
Who knows how he’ll feel when the season is over?
If he has an injury, that could change his thinking.
Privately, the Jets seem confident Rodgers will be back for a second season.
3. I am always skeptical about the veteran quarterback mentor.
I have seen that storyline so many times, and often the veteran is only worried about playing and not helping the younger player.
But I liked how Rodgers spoke about Zach Wilson.
I do think their prior relationship is going to help things.
I also think Rodgers is so secure in his own skin that he is not going to be worried about losing his job like some veterans of the past have been.
Will this make Wilson a great quarterback?
No. I don’t think that is happening.
But this could have been uncomfortable if the Jets brought in someone unwilling to embrace Wilson.
I don’t think there will be any tension here, and Wilson will have time to recalibrate.
