The New York Jets have been negotiating with Aaron Rodgers for the past few days. But with the Green Bay Packers quarterback keeping the NFL world in the dark about his plans until recently, the Green gang explored other options and may have been on the verge of a surprise trade.
As NFL insider Mike Florio reported, the Jets knocked on the Los Angeles Rams about star quarterback Matthew Stafford, among other things.
“And yes, the Rams (we’re told) would have welcomed the opportunity to trade Stafford. If Aaron Rodgers hadn’t decided to join the Jets, Stafford could have become Plan B if he was willing to move to New York to go,” reported Florio.
Because Zach Wilson had not performed as hoped in his sophomore year in the NFL, Jets head coach Robert Saleh expressed a desire to hire an experienced playmaker. Both Stafford and Rodgers fit that criterion and would mean an update to the New Yorkers’ offense.
How fit is NFL star Matthew Stafford?
In the 2022 season, Matthew Stafford led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (23-20). The past season, however, was anything but ideal.
The playcaller missed part of the pre-season due to an elbow operation. On the ninth and twelfth matchdays, Stafford also suffered a concussion.
After the loss in week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks (23:27), Rams coach Sean McVay finally pulled the ripcord for his quarterback. Stafford had previously been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, which meant the end of the season for him. Since then, the NFL community has been speculating about the health of the 35-year-old, who has already ruled out the end of his career.
The Jets would have taken a big risk with the transfer from Stafford – an expensive one at that. The ball distributor signed a four-year, $160 million contract with the Rams on March 19, 2022. New York should certainly have accepted this contract.