Aaron Rodgers is viewed as the missing piece the Jets need to get to the Super Bowl. He’s also seen as a ratings machine for television networks. Even though the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers haven’t agreed on trade compensation (yet) for Aaron Rodgers, the probability is that a deal will get done.
Rodgers is Must-See TV
Despite playing in a relatively small media market, the Packers have been a huge TV draw since 1992, when Brett Favre arrived at Lambeau. Hardly a Sunday goes by when the Pack isn’t featured somewhere on the dial. Rodgers, like Favre, equals rating points. Despite an 8-9 record last season, Green Bay averaged a whopping 23.2 million coast-to-coast viewers during their Sunday NFL appearances.
A different shade of green for #12
Advertisers were already spending big on nationally televised Packers games last season. The average cost for a 30-second commercial that aired during Rodgers’ appearances on CBS/Fox/NBC was around $900,000 per spot. That price will definitely go up with the future HOF playing in the nation’s biggest media market.
Last season, New York didn’t make a single appearance on a national TV broadcast. In the last 10 years, the Jets have played in exactly one national Sunday broadcast on one of the Big Three networks.
The Tom Brady Effect
When Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, the Bucs became a darling of the media making eight national TV appearances. With Brady under center, the Bucs that season averaged 22 million broadcast viewers. As a result, ratings quadrupled from the previous year.
Marquee matchups for the Jets
Among the 2023 games that have TV execs licking their lips is a road game against the Dallas Cowboys and an enticing home schedule featuring games against the Bills, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Eagles.
Of course, the deal has to go through before anyone officially goes all-in on the Jets. But Rodgers is sure that the Packers would prefer to move on without him. His intention is to play for the Jets.
Jets Sign Allen Lazard
If Rodgers does indeed get traded to the Jets, he’ll be throwing passes to a former teammate. New York signed free agent Allen Lazard who spent three of his five NFL seasons with the Packers and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
In his four full seasons in green and gold, he caught 169 passes, most of them from Rodgers.
2 minutes of Aaron Rodgers connecting with Allen Lazard ✈️ pic.twitter.com/6xrxVlsjBF
— McFadden (@McFaddenPC) March 16, 2023
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
