Monday afternoon, the NFL world took a sigh of relief. It was finally over. Aaron Rodgers was officially on his way to the New York Jets, where he will play against the Buffalo Bills twice a year as a division rival.
Per the terms of the trade, the Jets get Rodgers, the no. 15 pick from Green Bay and a 2023 fifth-round selection.
The Packers, meanwhile, get the no. 13 pick from New York, their 2023 second-round pick, a 2023 sixth-round pick and a 2024 conditional second rounder that could become a first-round selection if Rodgers plays 65 percent of plays.
The Bills are left still focused on the 2023 NFL Draft in just a little while from now, but the division odds just got way more interesting. According to DraftKings, the Jets now have the second-best odds to win the AFC East.
An updated look at the AFC East standings for the Buffalo Bills and division rivals following the Aaron Rodgers trade
Buffalo Bills: +130
New York Jets: +235
Miami Dolphins: +300
New England Patriots: +800
So, Vegas thinks the division could wind up being extremely close, which will be fun to watch, unless you’re a Patriots fan.
There’s something funny and highly-rewarding, though, for Bills fans, when it comes to seeing New England’s odds in their current state.
Finally, it’s not the big, bad Patriots we’re worried about. Instead, it’s another aging, future Hall of Fame quarterback in Rodgers.
While the Jets have an answer at quarterback, things might not be as peachy as they seem for New York. That was quite a bit to give up for a quarterback who could hang it up after this season, based on how he looked a year ago.
Rodgers is set to turn 40 in December, and threw the second-most interceptions of his career last year, only second to his very first season as the Packers’ starter.
In addition to Rogers looking off, for the first time in a long time, he has also seemed fairly disinterested from time to time. The relationship between he and Green Bay fell apart over a couple of years, although they stuck it out together for the time being.
Do the Jets really feel that confident in a guy like Rodgers, with such a big ego and close to his time being done in the league?