A potential Aaron Rodgers-Jets union is getting closer.
After Jets brass, led by owner Woody Johnson, took a private jet to California to meet with the Packers quarterback on Tuesday, there’s optimism in the organization that they’re on the brink of landing the future Hall of Famer, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
On Tuesday, Woody Johnson, vice chairman and co-owner Christopher Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas, head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett took a private jet to California to meet with Rodgers amid flirtations with the four-time MVP.
The Jets feel “they are on the brink” of acquiring Rodgers in a franchise-altering move.
Johnson reportedly felt that it was important to meet with Rodgers in person, and left the meeting “excited and satisfied about the potential match.”
Woody Johnson leaving Aaron Rodgers’ Malibu home on March 7, 2023. BACKGRID for NY PostThe Jets and the Packers remain engaged in conversations about compensation and contract.
Rodgers, 39, has $110 million left on his contract extension that he signed with Green Bay last spring. The reigning two-time MVP is due $59.5 million in guaranteed money this year and another $49.25 million in 2024.
The Jets hired Hackett, Rodgers’ former offensive coordinator in Green Bay, in January.
Two weeks prior, Johnson said he “absolutely” would spend big money on a veteran quarterback this offseason.
Aron Rodgers after a Packers-Bears game on Dec. 4, 2022. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Jets coach Robert Saleh after meeting with Aaron Rodgers on March 7, 2023. BACKGRID for NY Post“We’ve got a (salary) cap, so you’ve got an amount you can spend,” Johnson said. “But yeah, that’s kind of the missing piece. Our defense was an unbelievable story that you saw this year, from last place to close to the top in defense, in terms of any measurable. If you can do the same thing on offense, it looks pretty good, right?”
Johnson added that second-year quarterback Zach Wilson “had a tough year” and that “the confidence level… went down.”
Wilson, who the Jets selected second overall in 2021 NFL Draft, was benched late in the season after struggling to move the offense.
The Packers had to grant permission to the Jets to speak to Rodgers, who has said that a trade out of Green Bay — where he has spent his entire 18-year career — wouldn’t offend him.
Christopher Johnson after meeting with Aaron Rodgers on March 7, 2023. BACKGRID for NY PostAny trade for Rodgers will become official at the start of the new league year, which begins at 4 p.m. on March 15.
Rodgers threw for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, as the Packers finished this past season with an 8-9 record.
The Jets have missed the postseason for the past 12 years, and the potential addition of Rodgers could change that.
There is growing optimism Aaron Rodgers will be traded to the Jets. Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe last time the Jets made the playoffs was during the 2010 season when quarterback Mark Sanchez led them to their second consecutive AFC championship game appearance.
Last month, Rodgers emerged from his “darkness retreat,” where he spent multiple days in an isolation room in Klamath County, Oregon at Sky Cave Retreats in an effort to help him decide on his NFL future: whether to retire or continue playing for a 19th season.
