Aaron Rodgers plans to play for Jets: Packers QB set to follow similar path to Brett Favre on trip to New York

Aaron Rodgers built a resume that could arguably surpass Brett Favre with the legacy he built with the Green Bay Packers. Favre was the quarterback who brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay, lifting the Packers to heights the franchise hasn’t seen since Lombardi himself wandered the sidelines.

There was no way Rodgers could measure up to Favre right? Rodgers also led the Packers to a Super Bowl title, establishing his own Hall of Fame career and entering the discussion as one of the top 10 quarterbacks to ever play the game.

Like Favre, Rodgers is set to spend the next chapter of his Hall of Fame career for the New York Jets — hoping for a fresh start and another chance to bring an organization starved for a franchise quarterback a championship of its own. The Jets haven’t had a quarterback like Rodgers since Favre was at the center of the franchise in 2008, hoping the experiment in a Hall of Fame quarterback in his late 30s goes much better this time around.

Assuming the Packers and Jets make a deal for Rodgers, the paths he and Favre took from Green Bay to New York would be eerily similar, even if under different circumstances.

Career stats with the Packers

Favre earned three first-team All-Pro honors with the Packers and nine Pro Bowl selections, winning a Super Bowl with the franchise in his fifth season with the team. He is the only quarterback to win three consecutive NFL Most Valuable Player awards and the first quarterback to win all 32 championship franchises. He is the Packers’ franchise leader in passing yards.

Rodgers earned four first-team All-Pro selections with the Packers and 10 Pro Bowl selections. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XLVI, winning a title with Green Bay in his sixth season with the team. Rodgers is the Packers’ all-time leader in passing touchdowns and is the league’s fastest with 300 passing touchdowns (144 games) and 400 touchdowns (193).

Favre has the most wins as a starting quarterback in Packers history (160), while Rodgers is second (147).

Favre Street in New York

Favre has flirted with retirement every season since 2002, so the Packers have been scrambling to find a contingency plan for their franchise icon. They found one in 2005 with the selection of Rodgers after falling from a potential No. 1 overall pick to No. 24. Although Favre wasn’t happy with the situation, he made sure to delay the inevitable in Green Bay.

After a 2007 season in which Favre was runner-up for league MVP and led the Packers to the NFC Championship Game, he decided to retire after the Packers forced him to make a decision until March. Favre felt he could still play, but there was some backlash from the organization as he wanted to move on with Rodgers.

Favre wanted to return to the NFL in July, asking the Packers for his release to choose his next team. Then-general manager Ted Thompson would not allow Favre the run and declared Rodgers the starting quarterback. Favre filed for reinstatement, which the league granted in August, revealing to the public that he would not be returning to the Packers as a backup weeks before.

Favre had a strange clause in his contract that gave him the leverage to cancel any potential trade options by not telling the camp of the team he might be traded to — basically giving him the right to choose his next team. The Packers traded Favre to the Jets three days after his rehabilitation after Favre negotiated with the Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers about his next destination.

The Packers received a conditional fourth-round pick, which turned into a third-round pick after Favre played 50% of the snaps that season. If Favre played 70% of the snaps, the pick would have moved up into the second round. The Packers could have received a first round pick if the Jets made the Super Bowl and Favre played 80% of the snaps.

The Favre era is over in Green Bay, but Favre said he will always be a Packer.

Rodgers Street in New York

The Packers traded up to draft Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft at No. 26 overall, much to the surprise of Rodgers and the NFL. Rodgers admitted he wasn’t thrilled with the pick, but he respected the Packers for thinking about the future. He also acknowledged that he may not finish his career in Green Bay.

Rodgers has mapped out an exit strategy from the Packers for several years, but hasn’t followed through on the plan. The first time Rodgers considered leaving Green Bay was after the Packers fell in the NFC Championship Game in 2021, admitting that “there were a lot of unknowns” about his offseason plans.

Rodgers never formally requested a trade, but the Packers told their longtime quarterback in August 2021 that they would trade him after the season if he was still unhappy with the organization. This was after Rodgers skipped minicamp due to his issues with the culture in Green Bay. Both sides mended fences with internal improvements and talks, and Rodgers agreed to stay with the Packers on a three-year extension through 2022.

However, his extension came at a price, as the Packers traded Davante Adams (a favorite Rodgers target) to the Las Vegas Raiders soon after the extension. Green Bay selected young wideouts in Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs to essentially replace Adams, as Rodgers maintained a good relationship with the Packers due to his renewed confidence in the front office.

An 8-9 season — along with a slump from Rodgers — forced Green Bay’s hand. The Packers wanted Rodgers to make a decision about his future by March — and gave Rodgers permission to talk to the New York Jets.

The Packers decision

Just like Favre 15 years ago, the Packers are poised to move on their first-round pick in the quarterback. Favre held the starting job in Green Bay for three years before the Packers were ready to move on. The same happened with Rodgers, as the franchise wanted the future Hall of Fame quarterback to make a decision about his future after holding down his starting job for three more years.

Favre retired and then decided he wanted to come back later that summer. The Packers and Favre didn’t have a clean exit (they planned to retire Favre’s number in September 2008 and even tried to pay Favre to stay retired), but they ended up mending fences over time.

Rodgers and the Packers seem to be on the same page about his exit, feeling it’s the best option for both sides. There doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between Rodgers and the organization.

In the end, Favre and Rodgers will likely both end up with the Jets after 15-plus years starting for the Packers. Let’s hope Rodgers’ career with the Jets ends better — and lasts longer — than Favre’s.