Are Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers close to divorce? That depends on who you ask, but the presumptive 2020 NFL MVP supposedly wants a new contract, if not a complete change of scenery, after a second consecutive loss in the NFC Championship. Rodgers downplayed speculation about his post-game comments, which indicated that his future at Green Bay was “uncertain”, and the team’s leadership insisted that the perennial Pro Bowler will be back in 2021. But the team has since passed a choice in the draft of the first round about his likely successor last April, the writing was on the wall, and coming from Rodgers’ mouth: A change will come at some point.
Can this happen in the off-season? It sure can, regardless of what the Packers say. Green Bay would save $ 5.5 million by trading the legendary flag in early 2021 and, as Over The Cap reports, could save up to $ 22 million by trading after June 1, not to mention an additional $ 22, 6 million in 2022 and $ 28.3 million in 2023. That’s a lot of money, especially considering Rodgers’ big deal – and reported wishes for a new deal – would apparently prohibit Green Bay from making a quick switch to Jordan Love.
Where could Rodgers end up, if he really forced Green Bay’s hand? Here are five of the most likely destination locations:
5. Denver Broncos
John Elway just spent a year giving Drew Lock all sorts of new toys, and at times he seemed genuinely committed to letting the former second round player grow and become the undisputed leader of Denver. Keeping coach Vic Fangio and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur can be seen as yet another vote of confidence in Lock’s advantage.
But Lock stumbled a lot over the course of 2020 (when he was uninjured or on the COVID list), while rival Kansas City Chiefs moved on and the Los Angeles Chargers displayed a superior, hot young QB. Is it crazy to suggest that Elway might be tempted to return to veteran QB well, not just because it worked for Peyton Manning and because Rodgers would represent a similar bet, but because Lock never cost Denver a premium price? Meanwhile, Green Bay would keep Rodgers out of the NFC, and Rodgers himself would have the Colorado climate.
4. Las Vegas Raiders
Derek Carr managed to endure years of speculation about Jon Gruden’s desire for a new QB, but he was not entrenched enough to prevent the team from adding Marcus Mariota as a potential replacement for the wait in 2020. Mike Mayock has already praised him for his performance subsequent, but Rodgers is a different breed. And Raiders can cut Carr and save almost $ 20 million, almost instantly putting them back below the projected 2021 limit.
Edgar Bennett, who serves on Gruden’s offensive team, spent 2015-17 as the Packers’ offensive coordinator and, in his first two years at the helm, Rodgers made 71 touchdowns and just 15 interceptions. Gruden’s history of QB development – or lack thereof – speaks even louder: we talk about him and the Raiders every year, potentially eyeing a novice signal caller, but Gruden simply not draft QBs, and if he does, he doesn’t drafta them high. The guy likes vets. And if there’s a vet he could certainly convince Mayock to pursue, it’s dear prime time Rodgers. Talk about starting a new NFL market!
3. Indianapolis Colts
After winning gold from two local perspectives at Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, the Colts do not seem like a team that would you like be in the business of relying on big names recycled in addition to Philip Rivers in 2020. But Rivers is gone, and Indy is not within striking distance of a QB prospect in the draft. It is also difficult to think that Jacob Eason, of the fourth round, would prevent Chris Ballard from thinking too much about a Rodgers caliber QB, being the Packers longtime star on the market.
Built to win now, the Colts are desperate for a safer QB franchise in 2021, two years after Luck’s abrupt retirement. And if Frank Reich’s interest was sparked by a meeting with Rivers, well, it’s a safe bet that he would embrace a team with Rodgers, who he once declared the NFL’s Steph Curry. (Rodgers at 37 will be on a totally different level from Rivers at 38.) Few passersby would not only sell tickets, but would take them closer to the promised land.
2. New England Patriots
The Pats seem to have been content to continue the uncertainty in QB after Tom Brady left, and it is very possible that Bill Belichick believes that his team will be in a position to prepare a real successor in 2021. But let’s not be fooled: If Rodgers was available, Belichick would have to make a call. He has more than enough limit space to play.
Eliot Wolf, a longtime Packers executive who was in Green Bay when the Pack recruited Rodgers and when Rodgers won both an MVP and a Super Bowl, now lives in the New England office. And whatever you have to say about the Patriots’ offensive system, someone really thinks Robert Kraft and the entire leadership team would not take the chance to put one in the rest of the league and move from Tom Brady to Aaron Rodgers in a matter of some years? Instantly, they would win back favorite support for the title. Rodgers would have a chance to grab a dynasty mantle. And the rest of the football world would again cheer on the Patriots.
1. San Francisco 49ers
Niners management says it believes in Jimmy Garoppolo, who is only a year from the Super Bowl. But they didn’t believe him enough to not entertain Tom Brady’s chase in 2020, and in this off-season, they doubled the possibility of seeking an upgrade. San Francisco can cut Jimmy G and instantly save more than $ 24 million, with just $ 2.8 million hit, assuming they can’t find a buyer in the trade market. In other words, if Kyle Shanahan wants a new flashy QB, John Lynch can make it happen and will not destroy the team’s finances.
Better yet, Rodgers and San Francisco are close to a perfect wedding. The connections to the team are unclear, but Rodgers, remember, grew up less than three hours from the city. He’s a California boy, completely, and was a fan of the Niners growing up. Hell, the man thought he was going to No. 1 for 49ers during their infamous recruiting day slide in 2005. Not only would the stories be magnificent – San Francisco finally adopted its true QB franchise, more than a decade later – but the fit in the field would make sense. Rodgers would easily be Shanahan’s most talented arm, and you have to think that the racing game and defense will still be formed enough to take the pressure off No. 12 for more Super Bowl races.