It appears the New York Jets weren’t the only AFC East team in the race for Rodgers.

Craig Carton of FS1, who previously reported that the Green Bay Packers had conversations with the San Francisco 49ers about quarterback Aaron Rodgers , stated Thursday on The Carton Show that the New England Patriots  also made a trade offer for the former Packers quarterback.

The New England Patriots made an offer to the Green Bay Packers to get Aaron Rodgers. When Aaron Rodgers heard it, his agent said, “No. We ain’t playing for New England. We want to be a Jet.”



.@craigcartonlive  says the Patriots made an offer for Aaron Rodgers

"The Patriots made an offer for Aaron Rodgers, and he refused to play for New England." pic.twitter.com/qncsVLx6pS 
— The Carton Show (@TheCartonShow) June 14, 2023 

What’s interesting here is that Carton said all this with former Packers receiver James Jones, one of Rodgers’ closest friends in the media world, on set. Jones never pushed back on any of the claims that Carton made.

According to Carton, all this happened before Bill O’Brien, the former head coach of the Houston Texans  and most recently the offensive coordinator of the Alabama Crimson Tide , was named the Patriots’ new offensive coordinator. Carton also claims that Rodgers’ camp stated that the quarterback would retire if he were traded to the Patriots.

Many speculated that Rodgers wouldn’t want to retire this offseason, because he would then have to share his Hall of Fame induction (assuming he made it in as a first-ballot entry) with Tom Brady — who will go down in history as the winningest quarterback in the sport. I guess the only thing worse than having to share a Hall of Fame stage with Brady would be to follow in his footsteps in New England and be compared and contrasted with him every single step along the way.

In the end, if the Patriots and 49ers were willing to make a move for Rodgers — even despite the Jets’ interest — that could have given general manager Brian Gutekunst the confidence to hold off on a trade of Rodgers until right before the draft. If the Packers do end up getting the Jets’ 2024 first-round pick, should Rodgers play 65 percent or more of New York’s offensive snaps, then a thank-you note to Bill Belichick might be warranted.


Continue Reading @ Justis Mosqueda 

Justis Mosqueda wrote: