After being given permission by the Green Bay Packers, officials at the New York Jets have reportedly travelled to meet with Aaron Rodgers in person.
The Packers quarterback may finally be closing in on a decision ahead of the 2023 campaign, after dropping multiple hints about his immediate future this off-season. Rodgers spoke with the Jets on Monday, but will now come face-to-face with the organisation to discuss things further.
Following their initial chat, it was reported that Rodgers was 'open' to joining the Jets, although both parties needed permission from the Packers for advanced talks. They've since obliged, and Jets representatives will meet with Rodgers in California on Tuesday.
According to ESPN, the Jets have flown to California on Woody Johnson’s private plane to meet with Rodgers in person to potentially thrash out a deal. Rodgers only signed a three-year extension with the Packers last March, meaning valuable picks would be needed to secure a trade.
But Rodgers is exactly what the Jets players want, according to Twitter anyway. Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall have already posted messages of support over a potential switch, and it's looking like Rodgers may become a Jets player after all.
"Aye @AaronRodgers12 I promise if you become a Jet, I won’t pick you off in practice and I’ll burn the cheesehead," Gardner wrote on Twitter. Gardner mocked the Packers by wearing a cheesehead following their win last season, and he's happy to ditch it for Rodgers.
"Don’t mind me…Just Manifesting @AaronRodgers12," Hall added as he also caught wind of the news. The Jets have a stacked offensive roster and it was only the quarterback position that let them down last season.
23-year-old Zach Wilson remains their long-term project, but head coach Robert Saleh vowed to bring in a "veteran" quarterback at the end of last season. Rodgers is as good as veterans get, and signing the iconic no.12 is looking like a serious possibility.
Rodgers has been with the Packers ever since being drafted back in 2005, and has his sights set on winning the MVP award once more before retiring from the NFL. "Do I still think I can play? Of course. Can I play at a high level? Yeah. The highest," Rodgers said back in January.
"I think I can win MVP again in the right situation. Right situation, is that Green Bay or is that somewhere else? I'm not sure. But I don't think you should shut down any opportunity. But like I said during the season, it's got to be both sides actually wanting to work together moving forward."
