Barring something unforeseen, the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets will eventually strike a deal involving quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are going into the Jordan Love era, Rodgers wants to play in New York, and the Jets want Rodgers.
We know Rodgers is going to the Jets. But could a player come to Green Bay commercially? While the Packers want premium draft picks, a player or two could also have value.
For this exercise, the entire Packers Wire team combed through the Jets roster to come up with a realistic player goal for the Rodgers’ upcoming trade:
Zach Kruse: WR Elijah Moore
New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore (8)
Moore is the perfect embodiment of what the Packers should want in a player returning from the Jets: young, cheap, talented and ready to step in immediately in a position where it’s needed. The 2021 runner-up is still just 23, will have cap hits under $2 million (if traded) over the next two seasons and is just a year away from catching five touchdown passes and averaging 1, Running 75 yards per route over just 11 games as a beginner. Moore is short (5-9, 178) but he has elite speed (4.35 40-yard dash) and agility (6.65 tricones). At Ole Miss, Moore dominated the field and was tough as nails at catching passes in a crowd over center. Pop him in a slot gun between Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and the Packers have something to cook up. The Jets have already signed Allen Lazard and will likely add Randall Cobb once the Rodgers deal is finalized, making it increasingly difficult to fit Moore into the passing game puzzle. Trading him gives the Packers a new weapon for Jordan Love and clears up the receiver depth map in New York.
Brandon Carwile: WR Corey Davis
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
To me, Davis is the obvious answer. He was expected to be a Cap victim this offseason, but now he could be a piece of the puzzle in the Aaron Rodgers trade. The Packers need an experienced receiver to replace Allen Lazard (and likely Randall Cobb), not to mention Davis played for Matt LaFleur in 2018. He didn’t quite make his fifth overall pick and he’s struggling to gain a foothold with the Jets, but he’s also been the culprit for poor quarterback play. We don’t know what will become of Jordan Love, but Davis is a quarterback-friendly receiver thanks to his route running and ability to work in the middle of the field. Not to mention Davis’ running block was a nice addition to New York’s rushing attack. Of course, no one will be able to replace Lazard in this regard, but Davis is both capable and willing. The main obstacle will be Davis’ $10.5 million cap hit, but perhaps the Packers could revise his deal to soften the blow.
Paul Bretl: S. Jordan Whitehead
Jordan Weisskopf (3)
The safety position is a mess for the Packers, as only Darnell Savage has playing experience in the current roster — not to mention he’s been benched once and is the best in the slot, not the traditional safety role. It’s also not a great draft class at the position. Whitehead spent most of last season lined up or playing in the pits as the Jets’ free safety. A willing tackler, he ranks 12th at the position and recorded the 7th most running stops out of 90 eligible safeties according to the PFF. In coverage, meanwhile, Whitehead ranked 13th out of 64 in snaps per reception allowed. In the event of a takeover, Green Bay would inherit a contract that owes Whitehead $7.25 million in 2023, which might be driving things forward given the salary cap, but at 26 he’s a renewal candidate and that would be his 2023 cap reduce.
Source : sports.yahoo.com