Broadway Joe Namath was touched watching Aaron Rodgers explain why he did not want to wear Namath’s retired iconic No. 12.
“That was warm, that touched my heart a bit, that shows something about the man. He has a way about him, a lot of respect for the past. I was humbly grateful, you know what I mean? It felt good. It made me like [him] even more,” Namath told The Post with a laugh. “First time I met him I liked him, and I’ll tell you what, I’ve not seen anybody play better than him the times over the last 10, 15 years I’ve been watching.”
Rodgers, at his introductory press conference Wednesday inside the Jets Atlantic Health Training Center, had said: “There’s some iconic names that have played here — probably not more iconic than No. 12. And I heard what he said about in retiring his number, but to me, 12 is Broadway Joe.
“I didn’t want to even go down that path, and I’m excited about going back to my college [California] number.”
Joe Namath was “touched” by Aaron Rodgers not wanting to wear No. 12 with the Jets. Getty ImagesNamath was asked why he was willing to have his No. 12 unretired.
“Because I want to see the Jets win,” Namath said. “I’d love to see ’em win a championship. We’ve had a strong following for a long time, and I want not only the players to get the championship for themselves, but for the fans.
“I honest to God feel like the fans have been loyal, and we deserve being, I guess, awarded a championship. But we’ve gotta earn it. It’s because of the fans and the way they’ve followed the team over the years. There were some down years, we had some decent years.
Aaron Rodgers holding his No. 8 jersey during his Jets press conference on April 26, 2023. Corey Sipkin for the NY PostAaron 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.
“The Jets’ fans still keep showing up, and they’re still pretty darn loyal, so I would like to see it for New York Jet fans throughout the country, not just in Jersey and not just in New York.”
