The Green Bay Packers reportedly prefer "to move on from" quarterback Aaron Rodgers amid reports of a potential offseason trade, league sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday (January 29).
The Packers are also reportedly committed to finding a trade partner and had "their next plan ready to go" should Rodgers request a trade, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Last Tuesday (January 25), Rodgers suggested that the decision on where he plays -- if at all -- next season would ultimately be decided by the Packers during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
"If they feel like it was in the best interests of the team to move forward, so be it," Rodgers said. "Again, that wouldn't offend me, and it wouldn't make me feel like a victim. I wouldn't have any animosity towards the team. I love the organization, I love the city, I love the region. I'm a minority owner in the [Milwaukee] Bucks; I'm going to be a part of the region long after I'm done playing. I have a lot of love for what's gone on in Green Bay. And I'd love to finish there, I would. I might have finished there. Who knows?"
Rodgers also told McAfee that he'd be willing to rework his contract with the team this offseason. The four-time NFL MVP is due a guaranteed $59.464 million next season as part of a three-year, $150 million extension he signed with Green Bay in March, which carries a salary-cap charge of $31,623,570 in 2023.
Last Monday (January 23), NBC Sports' Peter King reported that the Packers will reportedly seek "at least two first-round picks" as compensation for a potential blockbuster trade involving Rodgers in the latest edition of his Football Morning in America column.
King's report came days after Schefter reported that a trade involving Rodgers was "a very real scenario" during the offseason and that the New York Jets would be among teams capable of fulfilling the request.
"As for the compensation due [to] Green Bay, my guess is the Pack would want at least two first-round picks," King wrote. "The Woody Johnson Jets, desperate for a star QB almost since the Broadway Joe [Namath] days, would happily pay that freight, I’d guess. But would Rodgers accept a deal to the Jets? We shall see."
Last Thursday (January 26), the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett Rodgers' former offensive coordinator, for the same position.
Rodgers had publicly praised Hackett after he was hired as the Denver Broncos' head coach last offseason.
"He's a great coach," Rodgers said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show last January. "I love spending time with him. He's a fantastic teacher. He's incredible in front of the room."
Rodgers signed a three-year, $150 million extension with the Packers last offseason amid previous reports of being disgruntled with the franchise. The 39-year-old was coming off back-to-back MVP seasons ahead of the 2022 NFL season, which resulted in Green Bay missing the playoffs after clinching a postseason berth during the previous three consecutive seasons and 11 of the past 13 years.
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