Aaron Rodgers is still technically a member of the Green Bay Packers.
The future Hall of Famer is expected to be traded to the New York Jets (which could literally happen at any time), but so far a deal hasn’t been reached between the two franchises.
Despite the fact that Rodgers is still a Packer, he’s been recruiting various players to the Jets.
One of the players that Rodgers tried to recruit to New York was six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Calais Campbell. Rodgers and Campbell have never been teammates, but they’ve faced each other a few times over the years (including a wild playoff game in early 2010 that the Arizona Cardinals won 51-45 against the Packers).
Campbell, however, signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons in late March.
By that time, Rodgers had already made his public declaration that he planned to play for the Jets in 2023. But Campbell felt like playing for the Falcons was a better option.
According to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (via Pro Football Focus), Campbell said Rodgers’ request was “appealing”. But the former Miami Hurricanes standout said Atlanta felt like a “special place” while adding that it was a “tough decision”.
Aaron Rodgers tried to recruit Calais Campbell to the Jets ???? pic.twitter.com/XT0If1EyKd
— PFF (@PFF) April 20, 2023
That has to be a blow to Rodgers’ ego. But Campbell, like the rest of the NFL, probably has no desire to wait around all spring for the Jets to raise their offer to a level that Green Bay’s comfortable with.
It’s hard to blame Campbell for heading elsewhere. And it’s certainly hard to blame the Packers for wanting to get as many draft picks as possible for Rodgers.
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