The most positive update yet has arrived in the Aaron Rodgers saga.
Participating in a live Boomer & Gio event hosted by Audacy's WFAN Sports Radio, New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas was asked Friday about the potential trade for Green Bay's four-time most valuable player.
"He's gonna be here," Douglas told an electrified crowd.
It was a candid response in a far more relaxed atmosphere than last week's Annual League Meeting, where figures like Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst provided media with restrained answers about respecting the process and having patience for finding the correct compensation without a hard deadline.
Douglas' declaration still doesn't necessarily mean a trade is destined, but the wheels have been in motion and gaining steam all offseason.
The Jets have made shrewd moves for their own squad while simultaneously adding familiar faces from Rodgers' past. First, the club hired Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator in January, the same position he filled in Green Bay from 2019-2021.
Then, New York inked wide receiver Allen Lazard, who happened to have a training session with Rodgers on Thursday and was the QB's most-targeted player in 2022, to a four-year contract a day before the official start of free agency.
The climax stemming from those additions and the murmurs of a possible divorce in Green Bay arrived a day after Lazard's signing, when Rodgers declared his intent to suit up for New York in 2023.
The resolution is still yet to come, but occurrences like Douglas' Friday night admission and even Thursday's signing of Rodgers' former backup, Tim Boyle, continue paving the way.
The draft, less than three weeks away, looms large over all these proceedings.
Should the Packers want to recoup 2023 picks in the Rodgers swap, Douglas' statement would need to come to fruition before the end of April.
