Aaron Rodgers makes hilarious comments about Packers' modus operandi ahead of NFL trade deadline
The Green Bay Packers are who they are. Throughout Aaron Rodgers' tenure with the team, they were not big fans of mid-season trades to acquire veterans, either with Ted Thompson or Brian Gutekunst as the general manager. On Tuesday, ahead of the 2024 deadline, the now New York Jets quarterback made an hilarious comment about […]
The Green Bay Packers are who they are. Throughout Aaron Rodgers' tenure with the team, they were not big fans of mid-season trades to acquire veterans, either with Ted Thompson or Brian Gutekunst as the general manager.
On Tuesday, ahead of the 2024 deadline, the now New York Jets quarterback made an hilarious comment about the value of draft picks and how acquiring veterans may impact a team.
"Well, I played eighteen years in Green Bay. I know how teams feel about draft picks," Rodgers half-jokingly said. "They've made some great picks over the years. There were a couple times where maybe bringing in a Marshawn Lynch, I mean, just that one guy to put it over the edge, may have been worth it. You never know."
Rodgers' comments are curious because the Packers considered acquiring Lynch from the Buffalo Bills in 2010, but Ted Thompson didn't agree to the value of the deal. The running back ended up traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2011 fourth-rounder and a 2012 fifth-round pick. The Packers won the Super Bowl in that season, but it's fair to say that Lynch would've been a good addition, just like he was for Seattle. Ted Thompson used those picks to select cornerback Davon House and linebacker Terrell Manning.
But Rodgers acknowledges the intricacies of making in-season moves for veterans.
"That's the other part about these veteran guys, you never know how it's gonna fit in the locker room," Rodgers mentioned. "Is the guy gonna fit in, is he gonna make the culture better. You never quite know with these things. That's why sometimes it's a crapshoot."
Rodgers made an interesting evaluation of how teams perceive draft picks. Usually, they are more willing to trade picks away to move up in the draft than they are to acquire veterans, mostly because of the financial structure of the league and how rookie contracts are impactful.
"I feel like draft picks are so important post-draft, when you think about next year, you're at the end of the season, or now we've played nine weeks," Rodgers added. "It's a little tight with some of these picks."
The last time the Packers acquired a player during the season was in 2010, when they sent a conditional late-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to acquire safety Anthony Smith, who had already played for Green Bay in 2009. Smith played only four games for the Packers and finished the Super Bowl season on the injured reserve.
Meanwhile, the Jets ended up being sellers at the deadline, trading veteran wide receiver Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick.
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