Jets GM Joe Douglas tells fans Aaron Rodgers is ‘gonna be here’

Last updated: 2023/04/08 at 5:35 PM

BigP Published April 8, 2023

Rest assured, Jets fans, Aaron Rodgers is still on track to land in New York this offseason.

At least that’s the message Jets general manager Joe Douglas shared Friday, even as a trade still hasn’t been agreed upon after weeks of discussions with the Green Bay Packers.

“He’s gonna be here,” Douglas said at an Audacy WFAN Sports Radio event when asked if Rodgers was going to be on the Jets.

Douglas’ response drew a loud roar from the New York crowd.

The quote from the general manager came after a couple of interesting developments surrounding Rodgers’ possible future with the team earlier in the week. First, the Jets signed quarterback Tim Boyle to a one-year deal on Thursday. Boyle backed up Rodgers for three seasons in Green Bay, so New York signing him gives it an option at backup that’s familiar with Nathaniel Hackett’s system.

Also on Thursday, Allen Lazard shared images of a training session with Rodgers. The wide receiver, who played with the Packers for the last five seasons, signed a four-year deal to join the Jets in March as it looks more and more likely that he’ll still play with Rodgers.

Rodgers stated in March that his intention is to play for the Jets in 2023 after he met with some of the team’s top officials at his home in California. That got the ball rolling for the trade that hasn’t happened yet.

Douglas told reporters at the annual league meeting in late March that there had been “some productive conversations” with the Packers at that point but he didn’t set a hard deadline to get a deal completed. Jets coach Robert Saleh expressed confidence a deal would get done during the same week.

“You guys know me, I’m a positive thinker,” Saleh said. “I’m sure eventually they’ll figure something out.”

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters at the same meetings that it isn’t a “necessity” for them to acquire the Jets’ first-round pick, which is No. 13 overall, in a deal for Rodgers. However, Gutekunst also said that he thinks the team can afford to let negotiations bleed into May and June, when the bulk of the offseason programs take place.

“There’s not much going on right now,” Gutekunst said. “So, I think it has to work for both parties, and we’re both committed to figuring that out. It’s really kind of in their court right now, so we’ll kind of see where it goes.”

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