‘Historic Trade for This Franchise’

At Tuesday’s pre-draft newser, Jets general manager Joe Douglas offered the proviso that “we’re still working through some details” on a trade that will send Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers to the Green & White. But Douglas was happy to talk about the Jets’ and Packers’ “agreement in principle” to complete the still slightly surreal deal — what the GM termed “a historic trade for this franchise” — of Rodgers to the Green & White.

“You never want to get too far ahead of yourself,” Douglas said about when he thought Rodgers-to-the-Jets could and would get done. “Really, you felt honored back a few weeks ago when Aaron said he wanted to be a New York Jet. You felt honored, you felt good. That’s what Robert [Saleh] has been able to do here so that a player like Aaron Rodgers wants to be here.”

After on-again-off-again trade talks with the Packers, the two sides got back together early this week and the pieces began falling into place — the switching of first-round picks, of fifth- and sixth-rounders, and of the Jets yielding two second-rounders, with next year’s two becoming a one based on Rodgers’ playtime. And the momentum toward an agreement grew.

“Obviously, we’re comfortable with how this deal shaped,” Douglas said. “I don’t think anyone ever walks away from a negotiation where you feel like you won everything in terms of what’s gone back and forth. But ultimately, our goal from the beginning was to add Aaron to the team, so we were able to get that. We agreed to terms yesterday and we’re just excited to bring him here.”