25 April 2023 , 13:44
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After weeks of silence, Aaron Rodgers is now finally a New York Jets player - and cornerback Sauce Gardner has revealed text messages between him and the quarterback from March.
Gardner is just one of the Jets players that's been publicly rooting for Rodgers to join the franchise since the end of last season, and is already a villain amongst Green Bay Packers fans for his recent antics. After the Jets beat the Packers last season, Gardner paraded with a cheesehead, a famous piece of merchandise associated with those at Lambeau Field.
And it was a photo of the cheesehead kept by Gardner that was sent to Rodgers via text, as the cornerback hit up the quarterback to try and tempt him with a move. He's since got his wish, and the text conversation has been released by Gardner.
On March 8, Gardner sent Rodgers a picture of him holding up the cheesehead randomly that afternoon. Rodgers responded with: "Lol. Why do you still have that?" Gardner continued the joke as Rodgers continued to be linked with the Jets, and it seems as though he's manifested the trade all along.
"I envisaged this," Gardner replied. "I knew it was gonna be a chance that you became a Jet. I'm waiting for you to become a Jet so I can burn it and we can win a Super Bowl together."
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Rodgers then replied: "Would be a pretty sick story wouldn't it?" It's clear that Rodgers has had the Jets on his mind for some time, and it wasn't long after their exchange that the quarterback announced that he was keen on making the move, and leaving the Packers franchise for good.
But after initial talks things went stale, and fans were starting to wonder what the hold-up was. However, it was finally announced on Monday that the Packers and the Jets had come to an agreement, and Rodgers will officially be playing in New York for the 2023 season.
After weeks of negotiations, it was confirmed that Rodgers will join the Jets in exchange for their 13th overall pick, a 2023 second-round pick (no.42), a sixth-round pick (no.207) and a conditional second round pick that becomes a first if the quarterback plays 65 per cent of snaps. The Jets will receive the 15th overall pick and a fifth-round selection (no.70) from the Packers.
But Rodgers will not be wearing his iconic No.12 jersey despite being offered it by Jets legend Joe Namath, instead opting for the No.8 he wore in college. It's a fresh opportunity for Rodgers at the age of 39, and he still wants to win another MVP award.