ARIZONA CARDINALS
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers tells Pat McAfee show he wants to play for Jets
Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show that a darkness retreat helped him determine he didn’t want to retire and that he is hoping to play for the New York Jets via a trade.
“At this point, as I sit here, I think since Friday I’ve made it clear that my intention was to play and my intention was to play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers said. “I haven’t been holding anything up at this point. It’s been compensation the Packers are trying to get for me, kind of digging their heels in.
“They’re ready to move on. That’s fine,” he added of the Packers, showing love to fans and excitement for potential quarterback replacement Jordan Love.
Rodgers was asked if he would have wanted to return to Green Bay if the Packers showed interest, but he said the 2022 season felt like the team knew it wanted to move.
The quarterback added he went into a darkness retreat thinking he was “90%” ready to retire.
Packers president/CEO Mark Murphy confirmed Friday that the team granted the New York Jets permission to talk with Rodgers and would honor a trade request if the four-time MVP quarterback makes one.
Murphy made those comments while speaking during a broadcast of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association girls basketball championships that aired on Green Bay television station WCWF.
“We’re really hopeful that we can reach a resolution that works not only for Aaron but for us,” Murphy said.
Murphy’s comments follow reports that Jets owner Woody Johnson, coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas visited Rodgers’ home in southern California earlier this week.
Rodgers, 39, has said since the end of the season that he’s still deciding whether to return to the Packers, request a trade or retire.
Murphy was asked if there’s any scenario in which Rodgers returns as the Packers’ starting quarterback. Murphy said he could envision that possibility but added that “I think it’s trying to find what he wants and what we want. Hopefully, we can find a win-win situation.”
Murphy said he wanted a resolution on Rodgers’ future by the start of free agency on Wednesday.
“It’s in everybody’s interest to resolve it sooner rather than later,” Murphy said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
