Jets coach on Aaron Rodgers trade: ‘It takes two to tango’

PHOENIX — As the Aaron Rodgers saga drags on, Jets coach Robert Saleh refused to give a timeline for when he’d want the quarterback to be part of his team.

Rodgers said earlier this month that he wants to play for the Jets and that the Packers were holding up a deal while they wait for the right trade compensation.

The Bears are eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the drama. Rodgers, who said he owns the Bears, has lost only five times in 30 meetings of the NFL’s most storied rivalry.

Speaking at the league’s annual meetings Monday morning, Saleh said he’d like to have his quarterback in the Jets’ facility by now.

“You’d always like to,” he said. “It takes two to tango. It’s a process. We respect the process. Whenever it gets done, it’ll get done.”

General manager Joe Douglas told Jets reporters that negotiations are “not where we need to be.” Saleh said he was “confident that things are going to work out.”

Saleh never mentioned Rodgers by name, presumably to avoid tampering accusations. But he said it would be possible for a veteran quarterback who knows the offense — which will be run by Jets play-caller Nathaniel Hackett, the former Packers coordinator — to come in as late as training camp.

“If there’s great rapport with the coordinator, there’s no urgency,” he said. “He understands the system.”

Lamar: Trade me

Minutes before coach John Harbaugh was set to meet the media, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson dropped a bombshell, tweeting that he asked for a trade March 2.

“I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I,” he wrote. “No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I’ll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore Flock nation and the entire State of Maryland. You’ll see me again.”

Harbaugh spoke as though he still planned on Jackson returning.

“I’m thinking about Lamar all the time,” he said at the Arizona Biltmore. “Thinking about him as our quarterback. We’re building our offense around that idea.

‘‘I’m just looking forward to getting back to football, and I’m confident that’s going to happen.”

The Ravens put the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, meaning that if he signs with another team, they would have the option to match the offer sheet or receive two first-round picks. He also could play for the Ravens under the tag for $32.4 million in 2023.

Teams could arrange a separate trade for Jackson, too. Complicating matters is the fact that Jackson is representing himself.

CPR coalition

Almost three months after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field, the NFL launched The Smart Heart Coalition, a collaboration with the major American pro sports leagues, the NCAA and other groups to adopt the best way to prevent deaths from cardiac arrest.

The coalition will call for high school coaches to receive CPR training and for high school sports venues to have emergency access plans and automated defibrillators.