In a long-awaited move, the Green Bay Packers have agreed to trade quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. This is the second time in 15 years that the Packers have traded an aging icon to the Jets. The deal includes Rodgers, the Packers’ 2023 first-round pick (No. 15), and a 2023 fifth-round pick (No. 170) to the Jets for New York’s 2023 first-round pick (No. 13), a 2023 second-round pick (No. 42), a 2023 sixth-round pick (No. 207), and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that becomes a first if Rodgers plays 65% of the plays this season.

The trade comes after weeks of negotiations between the two teams, with Rodgers announcing on “The Pat McAfee Show” that his “intention” was to play for the Jets in 2023. The Packers initially refused to trade their star quarterback, but talks broke down before they resumed again late last week.

For the Jets, this is arguably the biggest trade in their history and is reminiscent of the Brett Favre swap with the Packers in 2008. Frustrated by years of losing and inferior quarterback play, the Jets are taking a big swing by acquiring Rodgers. They haven’t made the playoffs in 12 years, which is the longest active drought in the country’s four major sports leagues. Not satisfied with Zach Wilson, drafted at No. 2 in 2021, Jets general manager Joe Douglas is entering a potential make-or-break year with coach Robert Saleh.

With Rodgers now traded to New York, the Jets are expected to become prime-time darlings when the NFL schedule is released next month and could play up to six prime-time games. They had one last year, a Thursday night home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After the trade, the Jets’ odds at Caesars Sportsbook to win the Super Bowl are 14-1, while the Packers’ are 50-1. The Jets’ odds to make the playoffs are at -150, while the Packers’ are at +170. Rodgers’ odds to be named the NFL’s MVP are at 18-1, the seventh-shortest among all players.

For the Packers, this marks the end of an era. Rodgers, 39, a four-time NFL MVP, led them to 11 playoff appearances and one Super Bowl championship in 15 years as the starting quarterback. Unlike Favre, who wanted to return to the Packers after he unretired, Rodgers apparently wanted out even after he said last summer that he would “definitely” finish his career with the Packers.

The Packers are now expected to turn to Jordan Love, the 2020 first-round pick who spent the previous three seasons as a backup, although they almost certainly will have to add another quarterback or two. It was Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst’s hope to get the trade done before the draft, and he succeeded. He believes that the capital for this year was very important and certainly more valuable than future stuff for their football team.

This trade will also have implications for Rodgers’ personal life, as he will now be living in New Jersey instead of Wisconsin. Although Hall of Fame quarterback and Jets franchise icon Joe Namath gave Rodgers his blessing to wear No. 12, the new Jets quarterback is expected to wear No. 8—the number he wore in college at Cal. Rodgers is scheduled to arrive in New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Senior JB Burbach commented: “Sad to see him go but I’m excited for the future of the Packer’s franchise and Jordan Love is gonna kill it.”

Fellow senior Jack Pokora said: “

Overall, this trade is a blockbuster deal that will have significant implications for both teams. For the Jets, it represents a bold move to try to end their long playoff drought and become contenders in the AFC. For the Packers, it marks the end of an era.