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Just over a week ago, it seemed that Aaron Rodgers unveiling as the New York Jets' new starting quarterback was a formality.
However, trade talks have moved at a snail's pace and a return to the Green Bay Packers for the 39-year-old has not been completely ruled out.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has spoken about what needs to happen if the former NFL MVP is to be traded, saying that the Jets would not have to give up a first-round draft pick to land the quarterback.
Gutekunst spoke to NFL Media at the Annual General Meeting Monday and said that there currently wasn't any timeline for the deal to be done. Though a return to Green Bay was not ruled out, it would be highly unlikely for fans to see Rodgers back in the yellow and green.
Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show on March 15, Rodgers indicated that it was his desire to play for the Jets next season, and soon afterwards there was a rumor that a deal had been struck.
There has been a lot of backpedaling since then as the 'done deal' has circled back to being in negotiations, and maybe not even being signed off at all.
Gutekunst said that the Packers had not actually spoken to Rodgers since the end of the season, having had initial conversations about his future. He says they have since reached out to their quarterback on multiple occasions.
Despite this, the Jets are confident that a deal will be done despite trade talks remaining slow.
Jets general manager Joe Douglas said on Monday: "Obviously, we're not where we need to be yet, but I feel like we're in a good place.
"There's not a ton of urgency from our standpoint right now. But still very optimistic."
There had been reports previously that the Packers wanted New York's 13th overall pick in the upcoming draft as part of the deal but it seems that this desire has now been shelved so that the trade can take place.
Rodgers confused fans of both the Packers and the Jets when he seemingly posted on Twitter last week, after weeks of inaction on the social media site, the ambiguous message "SULLLLLL," leaving many scratching their heads.
In trying to decipher the message, one Jets fan posted: ""SULLLLL" could be in reference to Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger who made an emergency landing in New York's Hudson River in January of 2009. Plane = #Jets + New York's Hudson River Makes sense if you don't think about it."
Another joked that the tweet was a metaphor for how the Jets season ends: "6 Ls, he really is preparing to play in the AFC EAST."
As NFL fans wait to hear what Rodgers' decision will be on his team for next season, there then came a reasonable explanation as to what the tweet meant.
Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas quote-tweeted the post, along with three laughing face emojis and three shrugging emojis, along with the comment: "I told y'all I have his phone."
It was then revealed that "SULLLLLL" was a reference to the end of Douglas' first name and that was him trying to show that he had Rodgers' phone with him.
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