Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers drops back to pass during a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on January 02, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Vikings 37-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The trade proposals, both real and speculative, for Aaron Rodgers continue to roll in as the Green Bay Packers quarterback inches closer to announcing his wishes for the future.
ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported last week that there were already “multiple teams with offers on the table” for Rodgers, and that the four-time NFL MVP would “be informing the Packers of his decision soon” on whether he would like to return to Green Bay or be traded. As if on cue, NFL insiders and analysts began running ideas through the trade machine to see which teams could put together which packages to make a real run at Rodgers.
Some of the ideas you’ve probably heard before, likely several times. The leader in that particular clubhouse is a hypothetical trade between the Packers and the Denver Broncos that would involve a massive amount of draft capital, including multiple first-round picks, with QB Drew Lock tossed in as a placeholder under center if Packers backup Jordan Love doesn’t work out. But last week a new potential suitor for Rodgers emerged, along with suggestions of an even more audacious draft package to offer as part of a trade.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report on Thursday, February 24 proposed a “realistic trade offer” involving the Philadelphia Eagles and six draft picks over the next two seasons. In return, Green Bay would ship Rodgers and a 2022 fourth-round selection to Philly. The details of what the Packers would receive are laid out as follows:
- 2022: first-round pick (via the Miami Dolphins); first-round pick (via the Indianapolis Colts); third-round pick
- 2023: first-round pick; second-round pick; fourth-round pick
“The Eagles could make a knee-buckler of an offer to Green Bay and still have a top-20 pick with which to add an impact player,” Davenport wrote. “And if Philly is certain that Rodgers is the missing piece in a championship puzzle, the team could in theory offer Green Bay three Round 1 picks in the same draft. That would blow just about every other potential offer out of the water.”
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Looking to AFC Makes Most Sense For Packers in Any Rodgers Trade
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers, of the Green Bay Packers, warms up prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on January 22, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The Eagles play in a weak NFC East Division and just drafted an electric wide receiver in DeVonta Smith, so pressing hard for Rodgers makes a good deal of sense on their end. But on the Packers’ side, the biggest reason arguing against a deal with Philadelphia is simple — the Eagles play in the NFC.
The work Green Bay could do with five first-round picks (two of their own and three from the Eagles) over the next two years would be enough to flip any rebuild into fast-forward. But another loss in an NFC Championship Game, this time to a conference rival with Rodgers at the opposition’s helm, might be a wound from which Green Bay executives and fans alike would never recover.
“Trading the reigning MVP would be a dark enough day for [general manger Brian Gutekunst] and the Pack. Trading (arguably) the best quarterback in franchise history to a team that then bounces you from the NFC playoffs is not conducive to job security,” Davenport pointed out. “The less the Packers see of No. 12 after a potential divorce, the better.”
Packers Must Pay Historic Extension to Keep Rodgers in Green Bay: Report
GettyAaron Jones #33, of the Green Bay Packers, celebrates with Aaron Rodgers #12 and Randall Cobb #18 after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 17, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The ideal situation for Green Bay is to keep Rodgers in-house, but that is going to cost more than the proverbial pretty penny.
Rodgers is under contract through 2022, so the Packers do not have to trade him even if those are the QB’s wishes. But Rodgers can also walk after the season, which would be a catastrophic outcome for the future of football in Green Bay, so he does have leverage.
Beyond that, Rodgers also has a contract that carries a $46.5 million cap hit over its final year. If Gutekunst hopes to keep the two-time reigning MVP around, he will need to pay some of Rodgers’ top offensive targets who are hitting free agency in March — All-Pro wideout Davante Adams and tight end Robert Tonyan, just to name a couple.
In order to accomplish that, the Packers will probably need to restructure Rodgers’ contract. In reworking the deal, Green Bay will also almost certainly need to include an extension. According to Russini, it is an extension that will represent the most annual money ever paid to an NFL player at any position.
“From the conversations I’ve had with a lot of people in the league, he wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL by a wide margin,” Russini said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show last Thursday. “So, we’re talking about $50 million a year.”
Paying Rodgers in such a fashion would hurt Green Bay for a few seasons after the quarterback inevitably retires, but it would also extend one of the longest-running championship windows in the league and keep Green Bay relevant for years to come. If Rodgers is willing to return at that price, Gutekunst and the Packers appear to have no choice other than to pay him.