Photo: Maddie Meyer
The Green Bay Packers are reportedly seeking multiple draft picks, including a first-round, as compensation in a potential trade for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, veteran NFL reporter Michael Lombardi said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show Thursday (March 9).
"The Packers are looking for a one and they want something else if he plays longer," Lombardi said. "Now, I think what that means is we want your one but if he plays two years we want a three or we want a two, we want a conditional pick to go along with what we have."
Lombarid's report came days after New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and a contingent of team representatives reportedly flew to California to meet with Rodgers on Tuesday (March 7).
I have a hard time believing that Woody would load up that airplane, fill it with fuel and fly 2,500 miles across the country if he didn't think the kid was going to play, if he didn't think Aaron would play," Lombardi said. "Like, I don't think he'd waste fuel on that. It's not an expedition. We're not just Lewis and Clark here. We're hoping to find s***.
"I think they expect it. I think they want to do a deal. I think the Packers want to do a deal and I think Aaron wanted to hear what they had to say."
Rodgers' contract could complicate a deal as both teams would need to be in compliance with the salary cap prior to the beginning of the new league year next Wednesday (March 15). Lombardi pointed out that the Jets have recently released several players in an effort to clear cap space ahead of a potential trade involving Rodgers.
Last week, Rodgers broke his darkness retreat silence and said he plans to make a decision on his NFL future "soon enough." The quarterback appeared on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast and compared his situation to his predecessor Brett Favre, who announced his retirement in 2008 before deciding to continue his NFL career and eventually being traded by the Packers to the Jets, who have long been among the favorites to land Rodgers should he demand a trade away from Green Bay prior to Graziano's report.
“It’s best for anybody who has an interest in this to make a decision sooner rather than later,” Rodgers said via GoLongTD.com founder Tyler Dunne. “I remember before [Brett] Favre retired, there were times in April and May, we weren’t sure if he was going to come back because he didn’t come to any of the offseason program. Then in 2008, he actually did retire in March and then said, ‘No, no, no,’ in June after OTAs, I actually want to come back and play. That’s when he was traded to the Jets. There was obviously a lot of tension that summer. For everybody involved directly and indirectly, it’s best for a decision earlier.
“I feel really good about the conversations that are going to be had, that have been had with important people in my life. Yourself included. But I’m not looking for somebody to tell me what the answer is. All the answers are right inside me. I touched many of the feeling on both sides in the darkness. I’m thankful for that time.
“There’s a finality to the decision. I don’t make it lightly. I don’t want to drag anybody around. I’m answering questions about it because I got asked about it. I’m talking about it because it’s important to me. If you don’t like it and you think it’s drama, and you think I’m being a diva or whatever, then just tune it out. That’s fine. But this is my life. It’s important to me. I’lI make a decision soon enough and we’ll go down that road. I’ll be really excited about it.”
Rodgers concluded his darkness retreat in southern Oregon last week, staying in an isolated room while mulling over his NFL future. Last month, Rodgers addressed "conversations" regarding a potential trade centered around him during his last appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
"It sounds like there's already conversations going on that aren't involving me, which is interesting...I'm not a part of those conversations right now," Rodgers said. "When I make up my mind one way or another then you guys and the Packers, not in that order, and everyone else will know at some point."
On February 9, Packers president Mark Murphy told ESPN's Dianna Russini that the team expects quarterback Aaron Rodgers to make a decision about his NFL future "around [the] free agency [period]."
"There hasn't been a deadline," Murphy said. "We've both realized that the sooner the decision is made, the better. I know Brian Gutekunst, our GM, has been in regular contact with him and I think Aaron has expressed that he doesn't want to drag it out."
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 month, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the New York Jets were "a very real scenario" in a possible trade for Rodgers prior to the team hiring offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who had previously coached the quarterback for three seasons from 2019 to 2021, which included Rodgers leading the NFL's top scoring offense during the first of two consecutive Associated Press Most Valuable Player award-winning seasons in 2020.
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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