RGIII Says Packers 'Fleeced' Jets In Aaron Rodgers Trade Because ESPN Pays Him To Deliver Over-The-Top Opinions

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The Green Bay Packers got more for quarterback Aaron Rodgers than most thought they would. That's true. People assumed that the Packers had no choice but to acquiesce Rodgers' demand to go to New York, but that wasn't exactly true. But to say the Packers "fleeced" the Jets, like ESPN's Robert Griffin III (RGIII) did, is a bit over-the-top.

Sports media discuss trade "winners and losers" relative to expectations. The expectation was that the Packers needed to get rid of Rodgers and would take what they could get from the Jets. When the two teams revealed the compensation, the news surprised many.

First of all, if one trade makes a team a "bonafide" Super Bowl contender, it's hard to make the case that team got "fleeced." Sure, the Los Angeles Rams are dealing with the fallout of trading two first round picks to get Matthew Stafford. But they won a Super Bowl. Safe to say they'd make that trade again.

Griffin immediately contradicts his own point. That's number one.

Number two, the compensation isn't THAT bad. No one knows how long Aaron Rodgers will play for the New York Jets. That's true. But the Jets only slid down two spots and gave up a second round pick in this year's draft.

That was likely a big selling point. New York is in "win-now" mode. They couldn't afford to give up too much this season. The Jets want to add some young players to a team primed to make a run. So, from that standpoint, not a deal-breaker.

Robert Griffin III says Packers

Robert Griffin III says Packers "fleeced" the Jets in the Aaron Rodgers trade, but he's just trying to deliver the hot takes that ESPN wants. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The big news is that New York gave up a conditional pick for next year based on Rodgers playing 65% of this year's snaps. Everyone assumes that's going to be a first-round pick, which it probably will be.

But, here's the thing: if Aaron Rodgers plays 65% of the Jets snaps this season, they're almost certainly a playoff team. Which means it's not going to be a high pick.

So they gave up a second-round pick and a late-first-round pick for a chance to be contenders for 1-3 seasons. That's not a terrible deal.

Yes, the Packers ended up getting an early-second-round pick and either a high first or another early second for a player who publicly said he won't play for them and named his destination. When Patrick Kane did that at the NHL trade deadline, the Blackhawks got barely anything in return.

To me, this deal is a perfect win-win. The Packers got more than most expected. The Jets become relevant contenders and gave up less than the Rams did to get Matthew Stafford.

No one got "fleeced," RGIII.

But hey, that's how you get more airtime at ESPN, I guess.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.