The trade that sent Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets is easily the biggest storyline of the offseason but the there was a time period during the offseason when both sides thought the deal wasn’t going to go through and the Jets would have a different signal-caller under center when they open the season on Monday night against the Buffalo Bills.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, when the Jets “pursuit of Rodgers lagged” due to the uncertainty of what Rodgers wanted during his pre-darkness treat, the Jets called the Los Angeles Rams to see if Matthew Stafford would be available in a trade.
Rapoport added that talks between NY and LA were ‘brief.’
As two sources explained, the Rams were adamant Stafford wasn’t going anywhere. The talks between the two teams were more exploratory than anything else with L.A. showing no willingness to do a deal, but the Jets didn’t want to leave a stone unturned in their quest for a franchise QB.
Ultimately, after months of negotiations, the Jets and Packers were finally able to come to an agreement on a trade for Rodgers on April 24.
