There has been speculation about the Jets and Aaron Rodgers for months.
On Tuesday, that speculation got real.
When the Jets brass flew to California to meet with the Packers quarterback and try to sell him on joining the Jets, this went from the Jets wanting Rodgers to the Jets absolutely having to land Rodgers.
By making that public move to visit Rodgers on his home turf and wine and dine him, the Jets have shown they are all-in.
They can’t come away empty now.
The events of Tuesday made it feel like a trade is actually going to happen.
There were no new developments Wednesday as the Jets are now waiting on a decision from Rodgers.
People will caution this is not an easy process and there are hurdles to clear.
And that is correct, but the end of this road has to be Rodgers in a Jets jersey, perhaps being handed the No. 12 from Joe Namath at a big press conference.
This has been percolating for months but it hit a boil Tuesday.
It started back in January when owner Woody Johnson said the Jets “absolutely” would spend big on a veteran quarterback.
Then, the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator.
Hackett and Rodgers are close from their days together in Green Bay, where Hackett was the offensive coordinator when Rodgers won two of his four MVP trophies.
Even with all that smoke, it was still unclear if Rodgers would be open to a trade and if the Packers were ready to move on.
Reports in recent weeks indicated that Green Bay is ready to turn to Jordan Love but no one knew what Rodgers was thinking.
The Packers granted permission to the Jets to speak with Rodgers, which shows where they are. The fact that Rodgers met with the Jets shows there is interest from his side.
The Jets have passed on another option in Derek Carr.
It has now become Rodgers or bust. Any other option, Jimmy Garoppolo included, will now feel like a failure.
Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas, coach Robert Saleh, Hackett and team president Hymie Elhai all went to California to meet with Rodgers on Tuesday.
No one from the Jets is saying what the sales pitch was, but Saleh is a good salesman. Every free agent who has signed with the Jets over the past two years has pointed to Saleh as a reason why.
Saleh likes to tell free agents that winning in New York is like nowhere else. Rodgers has accomplished so much that it is tough to sell him on having anything left to prove.
But he could add to his legacy if he could bring the Jets to the Super Bowl, which has not been done in 54 years.
Going back to his introductory press conference, Saleh revealed why he clicks so well with players.
“Can you help them make plays on Sundays so they can get paid as much as possible,” Saleh said. “That is the goal of every single coach and everybody who has some type of impact on the players or has a connection to the players and that is going to be the goal of this entire organization. It’s to make sure we do everything we can to connect to their wellbeing and to help them make plays on Sunday so they get paid as much as possible.”
Rodgers is already doing pretty well with his paycheck, but Tuesday’s meeting was a get-to-know you session between the Jets and Rodgers, who has some history with Saleh because of his friendship with Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
But this is a major decision for Rodgers and he surely wants to get to know the Jets’ leaders before joining them.
There are hurdles to clear before a trade gets done.
The Jets and Packers probably have the framework of a deal in place or things would not have advanced this far. But Rodgers needs to feel comfortable with the Jets and Rodgers also may need to rework his contract to facilitate a trade.
The Jets and Rodgers took a big step toward making a trade happen with Tuesday’s meeting. Now, they have to close the deal or it will feel like another terrible Jets loss.