The Green Bay Packers have struggled in 2023, but they aren’t out of playoff contention just yet. They sit third in the NFC North with a 4-6 record and are the first team out of the NFC playoff picture.
The story of their season, though, is Aaron Rodgers; this is the first season since 2005 that they haven’t had Rodgers on the team and the first since 2008 that he hasn’t started for them.
He was traded to the New York Jets in April, just ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. Why did they trade him?
Why Did the Green Bay Packers Trade Aaron Rodgers?
Rodgers spent 18 seasons with the Packers, and during his time there, he passed for 59,055 yards, 475 touchdowns, and 105 interceptions. Additionally, he was a four-time NFL MVP.
The Jets obtained Rodgers and a 2023 fifth-round pick from the Packers. In return, they traded a 2023 second-round pick, a 2023 sixth-round pick, and a conditional 2024 second-round pick, which becomes a first if Rodgers plays 65% of the plays in 2023. The teams also swapped 2023 first-rounders.
Ultimately, though, Rodgers tore his Achilles on the fourth snap of the season when the Jets faced the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. He will not play 65% of the plays, meaning the Packers will only receive a second-round pick.
The Packers’ decision to trade Aaron Rodgers was influenced by their investment in Jordan Love, a former first-round pick in 2020. The team didn’t want to sit Love for a fourth season, and Rodgers was coming off of his worst season in years.
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In his first season starting for Green Bay, Love has passed for 2,331 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions through 10 games. He has a 59.7% completion percentage and an 83.8 quarterback rating.
In Rodgers’ final season with Green Bay, he had 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. That was the second-highest interception total in his career, only trailing his first year starting in 2008. Green Bay also missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Rodgers himself had also decided to move on from the Packers. He had revealed in mid-March that he had intentions to leave the Packers and play for the Jets. He had also considered retirement following his disappointing season, but he opted not to.
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