Insider calls on New York Jets to shockingly trade young playmaker for draft assets
The New York Jets find themselves starting over after their failed Aaron Rodgers experiment, which began with high hopes and ended in disappointment.
The Jets acquired Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers before the 2023 season, viewing him as the final piece for a Super Bowl run. Instead, he tore his left Achilles tendon four plays into his debut against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, missing the entire season as the Jets finished 7-10.
Despite renewed championship aspirations in 2024 with a healthy Rodgers, the season quickly unraveled. Owner Woody Johnson fired head coach Robert Saleh after a Week 5 loss dropped the team to 2-3, with general manager Joe Douglas following weeks later. Reports emerged that Johnson had grown frustrated with Rodgers, allegedly wanting him benched during the season.
Now, with new head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey at the helm, the Jets have $23.8 million in cap space and numerous roster holes to fill, including quarterback. ESPN NFL insider Aaron Schatz suggests a bold move: trading star receiver Garrett Wilson.
“Wilson was clearly unhappy with his usage by the end of the season,” Schatz noted. “He should have shined with better quarterback play from veteran Aaron Rodgers, and he did. In fact, Wilson set personal records in receptions (101), yards (1,104) and touchdowns (7). But there was definitely a feeling that Wilson could have done more if there wasn’t so much attention being paid to Rodgers’ old pals Davante Adams and Allen Lazard.”
The Jets acquired Adams in a blockbuster trade with Las Vegas and signed Lazard to reunite them with Rodgers, but both receivers are expected to depart in 2025. Wilson, entering the fourth year of his rookie contract at $5.1 million, is now eligible for an extension that could command $30 million annually.
