Aaron Rodgers said he intends to play for the Jets this season

The wait is over: Aaron Rodgers made it known that he wants to play in 2023 and he wants to play for the Jets during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

The Jets will become instant contenders with Rodgers, a four-time MVP, leading their offense. But the wait for the Packers and Jets to work out a trade continues.

Rodgers said on Wednesday that he decided last week that he would like to be a Jet and that he’s not the one holding up anything.

The Jets and Packers are talking. But Rodgers threw his first dart as an almost Jet and it was right at the Packers. Rodgers said Green Bay is holding up the trade.

“Since Friday I made it clear that my intention was to play and my intention was to play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers said. “I haven’t been holding anything up at this point. It’s been compensation that the Packers are trying to get for me and kind of digging their heels in.”

If something can get done, it will be a franchise-changing acquisition for the Jets. They haven’t made the playoffs in 12 years and their only Super Bowl came more than five decades ago. Both of those lengthy droughts could end with a motivated Rodgers on board.

During his nearly hourlong segment on McAfee’s YouTube program, Rodgers expressed sadness about leaving Green Bay, where he’s been since 2005. The 39-year-old also said he was “90% retiring” when he went into darkness for his four-day retreat last month.

When he emerged, though, Rodgers said he heard that the Packers had been “shopping” him. He didn’t appreciate that Green Bay wasn’t being direct and transparent with him after all the years he dedicated to them.

Rodgers agreed to meet with the Jets last Tuesday at his home in California. He said he told them he wasn’t ready to make a decision on whether he was playing this season. Rodgers wanted to work out first and see how he felt physically and mentally.

The way he felt the Packers handled things definitely contributed to him pushing aside retirement and continuing his Hall of Fame career.

“The Packers would like to move on,” Rodgers said. “They’ve let me know in so many words. They’ve let other people know in direct words. I still have that fire and I want to play and I’d like to play in New York. It’s just a matter of getting that done at this point.”

The Packers are ready for fourth-year quarterback Jordan Love to take over the offense. That doesn’t mean they won’t try and get as much as possible for Rodgers, arguably the greatest player in franchise history.

Packers president Mark Murphy said last week that Rodgers could return “if things don’t work out the way we want them . . .  We are just really hopeful that we can reach a resolution that works not only for Aaron, but for us."

The Jets are more motivated to get a trade done than the Packers. But general manager Joe Douglas is a shrewd negotiator and this stalemate could linger.

There was no talk during the show about Rodgers restructuring his contact, which will pay him $59.6 million guaranteed this season. Rodgers almost made a plea to the Packers to work out a trade with the Jets because he’s not going back to Green Bay.

“The fact of the matter is you’ve got an aging face of the franchise the last 15 years that it’s time to do right by,” Rodgers said. “They want to move on and now so do I.”

“Now it’s time to do the right thing,” Rodgers added. “I don’t think there’s a scenario that they’re like, ‘We want this, and Jets aren’t willing to give it to us so we’ll take you back.’ That’s not reality.”

Rodgers also said some of the things that had been reported about him were not a reality. He said he never gave the Jets a wish list of players for them to target in free agency. ESPN reported that Rodgers’ list included Packers free agents Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis and former Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

“It’s ridiculous,” Rodgers said. “From what I’ve seen it’s like I had a sheet of paper when I met with the Jets and I said, ‘Sign these.' That’s not the reality. That’s just ridiculous. It’s so stupid to think I would do that.”

According to Rodgers, the Jets asked him about certain teammates he played with over the years and he spoke “glowingly about players I love.”

The Jets came to terms with Lazard on a four-year deal on Tuesday. The 6-5 receiver was one of Rodgers’ favorite targets with Green Bay. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Jets add Cobb and Lewis as well. Rodgers has never played with Beckham, but they’re friends and he would like to be his teammate.

“First of all, who wouldn’t want to have Odell on their team?” Rodgers said. “Come on, what are we talking about here? I don’t have demands. My only demand is for transparency.”

Rodgers said the Jets weren’t the only team interested in his services. He hinted that the Raiders were one of them. Although Rodgers never mentioned him by name, he hinted that he would have loved reuniting with star receiver Davante Adams.

“Not mentioning any names but there is one particular guy that him and I have this special unspoken rapport,” Rodgers said. “If there’s anybody that I would want to put on a demand list it would be one specific person.”

Maybe the Jets will try to acquire Adams too at some point. First, they need to get Green Bay to agree on a trade for Rodgers.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.