Aaron Rodgers:

NEW YORK — After contemplating his future for several days, Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday he plans to play in 2023 and is hopeful it will be with the Jets.

Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl champion, went on the Pat McAfee Show on YouTube on Wednesday and told his side of a story that has gripped the NFL for a week.

The 39-year-old said he went into a self-imposed exile after the regular season — “into the darkness,” as he put it — to decide if he was ready to retire after 18 years in the NFL, all with the Green Bay Packers, or perhaps come back and play again, either for the Packers or for a new team. The Jets have reportedly been the only team to show serious interest in Rodgers and met with the future Hall of Famer last week.

Rodgers said prior to stepping away to consider his options, he was “90%” sure he was retiring and “10%” sure he was going to play, but added things changed in his mind after his sabbatical. He said he heard from numerous people he trusts that the Packers had decided to move on and hand the starting quarterback reins to Jordan Love, whom they drafted in 2020 and has been Green Bay’s backup since. Rodgers also said the fire to play again and commit himself fully returned and he was looking forward to continuing his career.

Rodgers then told host Pat McAfee he has since decided his “intention is to play for the New York Jets.”

Of course, the Jets and Packers now have to work out a trade to send Rodgers to New York.

Various reports have suggested the teams have agreed to compensation, but as of Wednesday no trade had been finalized. It is believed, due to the fact that Rodgers is owed around $120 million over the next two seasons, the compensation for Rodgers would not be as high as with other star quarterbacks who have been moved around the league over the last few years.

Rodgers said a big part of the appeal of potentially going to the Jets is the fact that they recently hired Nathaniel Hackett as their new offensive coordinator. To say Rodgers knows Hackett’s system is an understatement as threw for 12,416 yards, 111 TDs and just 13 interceptions, and won two of his MVP awards, during Hackett’s tenure as the Packers’ offensive coordinator from 2019-21.

For their part, the Jets have reportedly been trying to attract players in free agency that Rodgers is familiar with. Reports surfaced Tuesday saying Rodgers gave the Jets a “wish list” of players he’d like to play with, including wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randal Cobb, and tight end Marcedes Lewis, who each played with Rodgers in Green Bay over the last several seasons.

The Jets reportedly reached an agreement with Lazard on a four-year, $44 million contract later Tuesday.