Former NFL Executive Foresees Which Team Will Surrender First in Aaron Rodgers Standoff: Jets or Packers?

Andrew Brandt, a seasoned negotiator and former vice president of the Green Bay Packers, understands leverage well. Having handled player contracts and the salary cap for the Packers from 1999-2008, he sees the Packers as holding the stronger position in the ongoing negotiation over quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Brandt anticipates that the Jets will eventually close the deal.

The reasoning is straightforward: the Packers already have their next quarterback, Jordan Love, while the Jets are left without a solid backup plan after top free-agent quarterbacks like Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr, and Baker Mayfield have been signed.

Additionally, the Jets are bending over backwards to appease Rodgers, signing players like Allen Lazard and chasing others like Odell Beckham, which aligns with Rodgers’ preferences. The Jets’ fan base is also eager, expecting to see Rodgers in their team’s colors.

This all tips the scales in favor of the Packers.

Brandt, writing for SI.com, dismisses the idea that the Jets hold any real leverage. He brushes off suggestions that Rodgers might show up at Packers’ offseason workouts or training camp, or that he could retire, noting that the Packers would welcome his retirement, which would save them $60 million. The notion of Rodgers sitting on the roster all season, forcing the Packers to pay him, is also dismissed.

Brandt believes the Jets will have to meet the Packers’ demands, likely involving players, a 2024 draft pick with performance-based escalators, and a 2023 first-round pick. He predicts the Jets will cave because their general manager, Joe Douglas, can’t risk turning down the deal and disappointing the entire organization and fan base.