The 4 best (and 2 worst) Packers trades under Brian Gutekunst

Best: Packers trade Aaron Rodgers to Jets

Aaron Rodgers said he was 90% retired. Returning to play for the Packers didn't sound all that likely. Not only that, he wanted to play for the New York Jets.

Countless debates about which team had "leverage" took place between the fans. Both teams had some leverage, but they also needed the trade to go through. If the Packers were unable to trade Rodgers to the Jets, they would've been left in a tough spot with the salary cap.

Despite all of those factors, Gutekunst got a fantastic deal for the Packers.

In this year's draft, Green Bay received a second-rounder from New York and swapped first-rounders, moving the Packers up from No. 15 to No. 13. That helped them land Lukas Van Ness and potentially cost the Jets an offensive tackle.

The best part is the conditional 2024 pick.

At the very worst, the Packers will land a second-round pick from the Jets. But if Rodgers plays 65% of the snaps it automatically becomes a first. There are no conditions based on stats or performance. Just playing time.

And if Rodgers doesn't play the required number of snaps? Well, there's a good chance the Jets won't win many games without him, so the second-round pick would be a favorable one for the Packers.

Gutekunst negotiated an outstanding deal for a quarterback entering his age-40 season who was likely never going to play for the Packers again anyway.