What could’ve been.
After trade talks with the Green Bay Packers seemingly stalled, the New York Jets didn’t seem to have other backup options. It was Aaron Rodgers or bust. While we now know that the Jets and Packers were able to come to an agreement on a blockbuster trade, the Jets were likely forced to do a bit of due diligence on the quarterback market. That was especially true after Derek Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, as Rodgers gets set to play his first regular season game for Gang Green, the Jets did investigate at least one other option. And it could’ve been a different quarterback under center for Monday night’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills: the Rams’ Matthew Stafford.
Sources say that when the Jets’ pursuit of Rodgers lagged—due to lack of clarity on what Rodgers wanted and pre-darkness retreat concerns about whether he would even play in 2023—the Jets called the Rams to see if Matthew Stafford would be available in a trade. Talks between New York and Los Angeles were brief, simple and to the point.
As two sources explained to Rapoport, the talks between the two teams were nothing more than exploratory in nature. Despite a rumor that the Rams had reached out to Stafford about restructuring his deal, the Rams have tried to dispel that notion at every twist and turn this offseason.
The Rams gave Stafford an absolutely massive contract worth $120 million in full guarantees over two years. And from the sound of it, the Jets were at least willing to make some overtures about Stafford’s ability, but the Rams were adamant, despite his hefty price tag and the team’s current rebuilding stage, that the Super Bowl-winning quarterback wasn’t going anywhere.
Stafford will be back under center in Week 1 for the Los Angeles Rams against the Seattle Seahawks at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday. On the other hand, Rodgers will make his Jets debut in prime time on Monday night at MetLife Stadium.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.