Diamond Hands: Packers can force Jets to meet their price for Aaron Rodgers

Whether intentionally or otherwise, Aaron Rodgers handed the Packers the upper hand in trade negotiations by dragging out the process.

In the days since Aaron Rodgers proclaimed his desire to continue his playing career in the Big Apple, arguments over whether the Green Bay Packers or the New York Jets hold leverage in trade negotiations have come to the fore. Some believe the Packers, facing the possibility of further disgruntlement of the four-time MVP quarterback, will have to cave and accept a paltry sum for Rodgers' services.

But this analysis ignores too many factors to take seriously. While Rodgers controlled the process up to this point, the Packers now take over negotiations. The four-time MVP quarterback can publicly lament the situation, but he can't dictate terms as he could previously. Meanwhile, the Jets' leverage has changed dramatically over the past few weeks. The power has shifted between the parties even if some refuse to acknowledge it.

At an earlier stage in the proceedings, the Jets held a decent bargaining position. If the Packers didn't want to part with Rodgers for a price deemed acceptable by New York general manager Joe Douglas or the quarterback himself required too many compromises from his prospective new employer -- whether as an outright demand to acquire his football buddies or a mere wish list -- Gang Green could have pivoted. The team met with former Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr and seemed poised to sign him should Rodgers opt to retire or stay in Green Bay. Head coach Robert Saleh's history with free agent Jimmy Garoppolo from their time with the San Francisco 49ers could have made him a viable alternative as well.

But Rodgers, as is his wont, dragged out the process for more than two months. Even as recently as the morning before he announced his desire to join the Jets for the next chapter of his NFL career, Rodgers had not provided the Packers with an affirmative trade request, according to The Athletic's Matt Schneidman. By that point, Carr had signed with the New Orleans Saints after growing tired of waiting on the dance between New York and Rodgers to resolve one way or another. Likewise, Garoppolo had come off the market, lured to the Raiders by a different coach with which he had a prior relationship, Josh McDaniels.

Meanwhile, the Jets had laid all their cards on the table for the world to see. Their sojourn to California in order to meet the quarterback in person drew no shortage of media attention, solidifying the team's Rodgers-or-bust mentality to fans and the New York media. The club further underscored its commitment to the plan when it signed former Green Bay wideout Allen Lazard to a four-year, $44 million deal while also kicking the tires on longtime Rodgers teammate Marcedes Lewis.

At the same time, Rodgers painted the Jets into a corner with his public statements this week. "I made it clear my intention was to play and to play for the New York Jets," the quarterback said on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. "I haven't been holding anything up. It's the compensation that the Packers are trying to get."

The Jets cannot walk all of this back. Everyone in the known universe watched them push all their chips to the center of the table. No poker face won't save them now.