MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

My guess at least some of the incentives are tied to starts, snaps, etc.

 

IF the Rams wanted him, they clearly didn't want him too badly. He signed for peanuts. Takes two to tango.

 

Packers want first-round pick and more for Aaron Rodgers

The Jets want Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers wants the Jets. The Packers don’t want Aaron Rodgers. This should be easy to resolve, right?

It’s not. The Packers want a lot for Rodgers. They want more than they should, frankly. The Jets believe the Packers are being unreasonable.


Per multiple sources, the Packers want a first-round pick and more from the Jets for Rodgers.

The Packers want more than a first-round pick as part of the base deal. They want protection in 2025, in the event Rodgers plays in 2024. And that’s more than the Jets believe they should surrender for a player the Packers no longer want.

If the Jets are willing to offer something like a conditional package that would entail as much as a second-round pick this year and up to a second-round pick next year, the Packers would be nuts to not take it.

Frankly, it feels personal at this point, and that’s no surprise. Rodgers reportedly wanted Packers G.M. Brian Gutekunst to be fired a couple of years ago, something Rodgers never really tried to refute. Now, two years later, Gutekunst has a chance to exact a little revenge — and so he is.

The problem for the Packers is that, the longer they drag their feet, the more pissed off (and in turn motivated) Rodgers will be to have a great season in 2023. He already has sold himself on the narrative that the Packers wanted him back after the season before something changed, even though he later contradicted himself on the notion that he believed the Packers wanted him back when 2022 concluded.

The NFL, like many businesses, is driven by deadlines. The challenge becomes determining a deadline for this trade. As previously mentioned, the Packers are willing to wait until the draft. The ultimate deadline, if we take it to the extreme, is Week One, at which point his $58.3 million option bonus becomes guaranteed base salary if not exercised.

For the Jets, what’s the deadline? There’s a desire to get it done now. But do they need Rodgers now? Do they need him for the start of the offseason program? He knows the system, given his connection to offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Given Rodgers’s recent habit of skipping OTAs, maybe the Jets should take the position that the real deadline is the opening of training camp.

Regardless, unless someone blinks, the deal isn’t happening now. Given what the Packers currently want, it’s definitely not happening. They’ll need to move toward New York’s position.

And here’s the question. With no owner in Green Bay, who’s in position to tell the front office to give a little in order to get rid of a guy they no longer want?

PFT

 

The guy wearing a cheesehead in the fifth row.

 

@dirk275

Gardner Minshew agrees to terms with Colts



New Colts head coach Shane Steichen will have at least one quarterback familiar with his system in 2023.

Gardner Minshew has agreed to terms with Indianapolis, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media. The deal is expected to be worth $3.5 million with more money available through incentives.


Minshew spent the last two seasons with the Eagles, where Steichen served as his offensive coordinator. In 2022, Minshew started two regular-season games, but lost both. In five appearances, Minshew completed 58 percent of his passes for 663 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Minshew came on the scene as a rookie sixth-round pick, going 6-6 as a starter with Jacksonville. But after the Jaguars drafted Trevor Lawrence in 2021, they traded him to the Eagles to be the team’s backup.

In 32 appearances with 24 starts, Minshew has completed 63 percent of his passes for 6,632 yards with 44 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

The Colts currently hold the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft and are widely expected to select a quarterback. Minshew gives Indianapolis some flexibility if that rookie quarterback is not ready to start Week One.

PFT

 

Seattle Seahawks sealed up Drew Locke today. 1 year/ $4M

 

If I'm in the Jets' front office (oh the humanity...), I'm pointing out that we're in the driver's seat. Rodgers already knows Nathaniel Hackett's offense well enough that he could even join the Jets roster in Week Two and step right into the system. Time isn't a problem for us.

But time is definitely a problem for Green Bay. They have until the start of the regular season to exercise that option clause. If they don't exercise it, they're screwed on the cap hit. If they trade him after exercising it, they're screwed on the cap hit. So they have to move him or they're stuck with him. And I don't see anyone else lining up to cough up draft capital to take on a $50 million+ cap hit on a total flake.

 

And at the same time, the Packers will probably attempt to pillage the Jets for the most possible return they can get... I dont blame them for that at all. Im not sure if the Jets have already written in stone what they are prepaired to give or if GB has written in stone what they want in return, but time is not on anyone's side at this point.

 

Eagles replace Gardner Minshew with Marcus Mariota



Gardner Minshew is out. Marcus Mariota is in.

The Eagles have replaced Minshew, who will join the Colts, with Mariota.


Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Mariota has reached agreement on a one-year, $5 million deal. Incentives can push the value to $8 million.

He was the second overall pick in the draft. After five years with the Titans, he spent two with the Raiders and one with the Falcons.

Still only 29, Mariota’s skillset meshes better with starter Jalen Hurts than Minshew’s. Mariota, like Hurts, possesses the kind of mobility that allows him to run the aspects of the offense that require the quarterback to run.

Mariota started 13 games for the Falcons in 2022. He was benched for rookie Desmond Ridder late in the year, prompting Mariota to leave the team.

He’s one of the three quarterbacks who were part of the season-long Netflix show focusing on the life of an NFL quarterback. It’s due to debut this summer, and it will give Eagles fans a chance to better get to know the player who becomes the new understudy to one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

PFT

 

Allen Lazard: It feels good knowing 12 will be my quarterback again

Newly signed Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard talked about his relationship with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and desire to be in a big city while saying that he might have signed with the AFC East team under any circumstances, but it was impossible to ignore another tie that helped draw Lazard during his introductory press conference.

Lazard said that Aaron Rodgers is a big reason why he’s in the NFL because of the way his Packers teammate went to bat for him early in his career, so it definitely didn’t hurt to hear that the quarterback’s intention is to play for the Jets this season.

“It feels good that 12 is going to be my quarterback again,” Lazard said, via SNY.

Lazard was also asked about his expectations for 2023 once the Packers agree to a trade bringing Rodgers to the team.

“I think with Aaron Rodgers as quarterback, the possibility of wins is always a thing,” Lazard said. “With that being said, it’s really the Super Bowl. Especially at this point in his career. . . . His caliber of play automatically elevates everybody’s potential and abilities on the field immediately.”

The Jets are banking on that kind of effect, but they’ve still got to get the trade finished before Lazard or anyone else can benefit from Rodgers’ presence.

PFT

 

I'm glad to hear Mariota is signed. I wish he was still here with us. I'm very much looking forward to that Netflix series to get a better understanding of what went on here in December.

One thing I will point out... "leaving the team" was having surgery on his knee. If you look at his stats, he played well through the end of October and seemed to get better and better. The last three games in October were against San Francisco, Cincinnati, and Carolina. In that stretch, he had a combined passer rating of 123.75, with 9.2 yards per attempt and a 74.5% completion rate. That's Pro Bowl-caliber performance against pretty good defenses.

And then he suddenly fell off the table. Now we know he had a knee issue. The media seems to ignore it and go with the "he left the team" story line, but the stats make it painfully obvious that something was wrong. In the remaining games before his surgery, he only completed 59.4% of his passes with a combined passer rating of 81. He simply wasn't the same quarterback, and in particular he lacked the accuracy on his deeper throws that he had shown earlier in the season.

 

Its almost surreal that Lazard would even say that. No deal has been done according to the Packers, Jets and NFL media, but here we go, same ol' bull shit. One thing i personally will enjoy is Rodgers falling flat on his face after the almost obvious trade is completed. Why dont the people/professionals/media types and such ask Lazard the obvious question, is this a done deal? None of this is cool and just makes me like' to hate the King of Cheeseheads' all the more.

Seriously, I cant wait to see this get done and the Jets implode under Rodgers and Hacket... I thought the Jets were on the right track, but turning themselves into Packers clones and bowing to his Divaness makes me sick and I know Im becoming a broken record, but man o man am I going to root for Rodgers and the Jets to get the shit kicked out of them week after week. Packers fails is a given, they allowed this and put themselves into this position. I wish the most best success for Love, just not when they paly the team in purple.

end rant... for now.

 

They're the Jets. You already KNOW this isn't going to end well for them. It's like the Bears, Browns, Falcons or Lions. No matter what they do, it's going to backfire.

 

I truly felt good for him landing a gig on a good team, even as a backup, but in todays NFL, he might be the starter week 1 and with that insurance for the Eagles it good for him and the Eagles.

 

I don't blame the Packers at all.. Precedent was set with Stafford, and probably more importantly, it was a proven success. The Jets are doing it for ONE reason, to win a Super Bowl. What team wouldn't trade a first round draft pick for a Lombardi Trophy? If they don't think they can win a SB... There is no reason to trade for him in the first place.

The Rams got (2) first rounders, a third rounder and a starting QB with more playoff experience than the guy they traded for....The kicker is They WON a SB

The Packers asking for (1) first rounder, imo, is fair.

 

I'm rooting against him, but I sure as hell wouldn't BET against him. This Jets team has a lot of weapons and it sounds like they are adding more. It's probably been awhile for Rodgers to have as much talent around him. That side of the ball already had:

Garrett Wilson
Elijah Moore
Denzel Mims
TE:
Tyler Conklin
C.J. Azmoah
Jeremy Ruckert

Now they have added Allen Lazard, and are talking to Randall Cobb and OBJ

 

Depends. Is this going to be a true open competition? Or a Steelers-like competition that was anything but an open competition? Don’t follow the Bucs much, but I believe I read that Trask had a good preseason last year. They both are learning a new offense. Trask should be getting the first shot imo, depending on the draft. If I was a gambler, I’d bet Trask is the week one starter

 

Im curious as to the offensive line. Protection is key here... he has got to be more brittle than before. I also think Rodgers has seen better days. Even though he's in NY, with a good team, I dont trust that he's got the mojo he had earlier in Green Bay.

I might just be eating a huge plate of Crow come December, but there is a gut feeling i have, he is set up for failure and disaster... might also be wishful thinking.

Is Rodgers right now an up-grade, damn right he is, but I just dont think he has what it going to take in NY to take the Jets to the promised land, but I am full of angst against him, I will admitt.

 

I also think Im too biased to make a proper assessment in regards to Rodgers.

I cant stand him, his attitude or even his commercials, lol.

 

That's a legit question, but He's had to deal with that most of his career in Green Bay hasn't he?