Jets in 'no hurry' to finalize Aaron Rodgers trade, but coach Robert Saleh is 'sure' the deal will get done
Ryan WoodPHOENIX – At the heart of this ongoing standoff between the Green Bay Packers, the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers are two best friends who go back two decades, to the start of their coaching careers.
Matt LaFleur and Robert Saleh have had plenty to talk about over the past month, certainly more complex matters than their days on Central Michigan’s coaching staff in 2004. The Jets have surfaced as seemingly the Packers’ only viable trade partner for Rodgers. The friendship between the two head coaches could help facilitate a deal.
At the NFL owners meetings Monday morning, Saleh said his conversations with LaFleur haven’t strayed from their personal lives.
“Matt and I have been respectful of this whole process,” Saleh said. “We’re really not talking about it. We’re still just talking about family, and all the different things he and I have talked about that we’ve been talking about since we were GAs together at Central Michigan. So we agreed not to talk about it, just let it be, and let the general managers handle it.”
Jets coach Robert Saleh said he's 'sure' the trade will happen
Saleh made clear he would have preferred the Jets quarterback situation to be resolved by this point in the offseason. He joined members of his coaching staff, the Jets front office and owner Woody Johnson in Los Angeles for a meeting with Rodgers this month. Rodgers declared his intent to join the Jets shortly after, but the two teams have since haggled over trade compensation.
When asked what the Jets backup plan would be if a trade fell through, Saleh deferred to general manager Joe Douglas. Saleh would not provide specifics on where a potential trade stood, saying Douglas is “working in the trenches” with Gutekunst.
“It takes two to tango,” Saleh said. “So it’s a process, and you respect the process. Whenever it gets done, it’ll get done.”
Saleh said he’s “sure” a trade will eventually happen. He didn’t have a timeline for when the Jets want Rodgers on their roster. NFL teams start their offseason training next month, but Saleh suggested it wouldn’t be necessary for Rodgers to participate given the quarterback’s familiarity with Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
“If there’s great rapport with the coordinator, there’s really no urgency,” he said. “The quarterback, if he understands the system, if the quarterback knows it, it’s just a matter of refining skills and all that stuff. So there’s no hurry on our end.”
Signing of Allen Lazard would help in the transition
The Jets have built an infrastructure in place to expedite Rodgers’ adjustment period once a trade is complete. Beyond Hackett, the Packers offensive coordinator in Rodgers’ past two MVP seasons, the Jets signed receiver Allen Lazard.
Saleh said Lazard was a free agent target when this offseason began, before a potential trade for Rodgers materialized. Lazard was the Packers' leading receiver last season, catching 60 passes for 788 yards and six touchdowns. He caught five touchdowns from Rodgers in the final five games of 2021.
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Lazard’s veteran experience is a quality Saleh said the Jets wanted to add to their receiving depth chart.
“If you see him in person,” Saleh said, “the guy is just an enormous person whose got good ball skills. He’s a really good target in the red zone. I’m one of those guys who just love guys who’ve come from the bottom and just made their way up. I’ve always made the comment, you want to be careful who you give your money to in free agency because a lot of complacency can set in. He’s a guy who’s kind of scratched and clawed his way through, and you’re very confident if you give him that money, he’s only going to get better.
“With Lazard, there’s a lot of different things he does very, very well, but his leadership and his mindset and his grind is hopefully going to continue to flourish.”