Former Aaron Rodgers teammate believes he could sabotage trade for Packers

First, there were debates about leverage. Who had all the power in the Aaron Rodgers trade negotiations, the Green Bay Packers or New York Jets?

It has been a long, never-ending drama, with the four-time MVP yet to make his official exit from Green Bay. Until the two sides can agree on a deal, Rodgers remains a Packers player.

Rodgers' appearance on the Pat McAfee Show stating his intention to play for the Jets feels like a lifetime ago. Since, Rodgers has remained silent publicly while the world awaits the trade to be announced.

The upcoming 2023 NFL Draft complicates things. Will a deal be done before then? Do the Jets want negotiations to drag out beyond the draft, allowing them to keep hold of their three top 50 picks?

And that leads us to some interesting comments from one of Rodgers' former teammates.

Aaron Rodgers trade: Former teammate believes he could sabotage trade for Packers

Aaron Rodgers' former teammate and Packers fan favorite John Kuhn has weighed in on the latest trade rumors.

Speaking on Milwaukee's 97.3 The Game, the former Packers fullback discussed the possibility of Rodgers sabotaging the trade negotiations with some of his recent comments.

"Could he potentially be sabotaging this trade deal?" asked Kuhn.

"He could give assurances to them [New York Jets] that he would indeed play two years, but he could say publicly that, 'I don't know,'" Kuhn said.

This follows a recent report from Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson that said the Packers and Jets had trade parameters in place before Rodgers made his "90% retired" comments on the Pat McAfee Show.

It would make a lot of sense from Rodgers and the Jets' perspective. As Kuhn says, Rodgers could privately give his commitment to playing in New York for two years, but they don't need to make that public. Publicly, the Jets could attempt to push down the Packers' asking price by voicing concerns Rodgers may retire after a year.

It's certainly an interesting conversation. If the Jets can lower the asking price, why wouldn't they? And that would be in Rodgers' best interest, too. They don't want to give away their first-round pick, a selection that could be used to draft an offensive tackle or pass-catcher for Rodgers.

They would prefer not to give away both of their second-rounders, either. Again, those picks could make a huge difference for the Jets as they go all-in with Rodgers.

Kuhn can see it from the Packers' perspective, too, and understands why Brian Gutekunst might be frustrated.

"You would be upset too if you said, 'Go ahead out there and talk with Aaron Rodgers' and everything is hunky-dory, and then all of a sudden, Aaron goes on McAfee a few days after we had this principle deal in place, and says he was 90% retired," said Kuhn.

The fact is, nobody knows for sure how the negotiations are going, whether Rodgers has committed to playing multiple seasons in New York, or whether he will continue on a year-to-year basis. Only those close to the situation know, but it makes for an interesting conversation.

The wait goes on. To this point, the Packers and Jets haven't made an agreement. Will a deal be made before the draft? If not, it would create a number of new fascinating questions.