Chicago Bears fans, you can breathe now. Your nemesis, Aaron Rodgers, is no longer a member of the Green Bay Packers, and you won’t play him twice a year anymore.
The four-time MVP and bane of your very existence has been traded to the New York Jets in a blockbuster deal, according to ESPN.
Trade compensation, per sources:
Jets get:
🏈Aaron Rodgers, pick No. 15, a 2023 5th-rd pick (No. 170).Packers get:
🏈Pick No. 13, a 2023 2nd-rd pick (No. 42), a 6th-rd pick (No. 207), a conditional 2024 2nd-rd pick that becomes a 1st if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the plays. pic.twitter.com/Q2vUMfyZGH— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2023
In addition to Rodgers, the Jets will receive the Packers’ first-round (No. 15) and fifth-round (No. 170) picks.
But New York is reportedly giving up a lot in return.
The Packers will receive the Jets’ 2023 first (No. 13), second (No. 42) and sixth-round (No. 207) picks for Rodgers. According to ESPN, they are also giving up a conditional 2024 second-round pick that could turn into a first-round selection if Rodgers plays 65 percent of the plays.
Truth be told, it’s a deal that’s been in the making for weeks.
With the 39-year-old star quarterback on the Jets, New York rockets to relevancy. Expect to see them in more primetime games this upcoming season.
And if you’re keeping score at home, this is the second time the Packers have traded an aging franchise quarterback to the Jets. They did so in 2008 when they traded Brett Favre to New York. That didn’t turn out so well.
But the more important storyline here is that Rodgers, self-proclaimed owner of your Bears, will no longer be in the division. With Rodgers’s 24-5 regular season record against the Bears, it appeared that the quarterback held the deed to the Bears franchise’s soul.
But now, it’s a new day.
With the trade, the Bears go from playing Rodgers twice a year to once every four years – although the teams could likely play in 2024, that schedule won’t be announced for another year.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 24, 2023
