Draft expert believes Packers have hidden agenda in aftermath of Aaron Rodgers trade
The Green Bay Packers must now shift their attention to life after Aaron Rodgers following the team’s trade sending the future Hall of Famer to the New York Jets. General manager Brian Gutekunst received a surprising return in the deal, walking away with a first-round pick swap in 2023 to go along with a second-round […]
The Green Bay Packers must now shift their attention to life after Aaron Rodgers following the team’s trade sending the future Hall of Famer to the New York Jets.
General manager Brian Gutekunst received a surprising return in the deal, walking away with a first-round pick swap in 2023 to go along with a second-round pick, a sixth-round pick and a 2024 conditional second rounder.
Packers Receive:
- 2023 First-Round Pick (No. 13 overall)
- 2023 Second-Round Pick (No. 42)
- 2023 Sixth-Round Pick (No. 207)
- 2024 Conditional Second-Round Pick (Becomes first-round pick if Rodgers plays 65 percent of snaps)
Jets Receive:
- QB Aaron Rodgers
- 2023 First-Round Pick (No. 15 overall)
- 2023 Fifth-Round Pick (No. 170)
Tony Pauline, one of the most respected draft analysts in football, says he has heard there is a method to the Packers’ madness. Green Bay fought hard to include the first-round pick swap, and Pauline reports there is a specific player the Packers could be targeting in Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
It’s important to note that the Packers haven’t selected a wide receiver in the first round since the team nabbed Javon Walker with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Of course snapping this 21-year trend would be poetic after Packers fans and Rodgers alike have been clamoring for the team to select a pass-catcher for the majority of his 18-year tenure in Green Bay.
The Packers won’t know if Smith-Njigba will be on the board when the team goes on the clock, but the dynamic wideout is exactly the type of player who will set Jordan Love up for success. If Gutekunst elects to draft a wide receiver or tight end in the first round, Rodgers will undoubtedly be rolling his eyes as he begins a new chapter with the Jets.
