Packers Trade Proposal Sends Aaron Rodgers to Emerging AFC Team

Getty Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be playing for a new team in 2023.

The Green Bay Packers are facing a lot of uncertainty at the quarterback position after the 2022 season, but if they want to control their own destiny, then general manager Brian Gutekunst could decide to trade Aaron Rodgers and usher in the Jordan Love era.

The Ringer’s Danny Heifetz had a strong suggestion on where Rodgers should go if the Packers decided to trade him. Appearing on the platform’s podcast, The Island, Heifetz suggested that the New York Jets should make a strong push to trade for Rodgers.

“I just feel like the Jets should seize the moment in this window, and just be like you know what, let’s do it,” Heifetz said. “We have all this youth, we have all this stuff, Salah is the right coach. And I think it just makes sense for everybody.”

The suggestion came shortly after it was revealed that Love is considering a trade request if Rodgers comes back in 2023 so that he might have an opportunity to finally be a starting QB in the NFL. Either scenario is possible this offseason, but Heifetz provided a strong case as to why a Packers-Jets trade for Rodgers would make sense.

Does a Trade Make Sense for the Packers?

Parting ways with a future Hall of Fame quarterback is never easy, especially if the Packers truly want to find a trade partner for Rodgers.

The back-to-back MVP will be 40 years old in December of next season. An aging quarterback is a tough sell as a trade asset, but even more so given Rodgers’ decline in play in 2022. Through 13 games, Rodgers’ 9 interceptions are the most he’s thrown in a season since 2010, and his passer rating of 92.4 is the lowest of his career as a full-time starter.

That being said, Rodgers has turned things around over the last few weeks thanks to the emergence of rookie receiver Christian Watson. The second-round pick has racked up eight total touchdowns over the last four games, providing a spark to the offense.

This late-season push could make Rodgers a more desirable trade target, but the financial situation makes things even more complicated. According to Jason Fitzgerald with Over the Cap, a trade involving Rodgers before June 1 would result in a $40 million dead cap hit for Green Bay, or a similar cap hit spread out over two years if the team was somehow able to trade him after that date.

That cap hit, along with a team willing to take on Rodgers’ contract, makes things even more complicated. Still, a QB-needy team with the pieces in place to contend for a Super Bowl would have a hard time passing up an opportunity to trade for one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

Is Jordan Love Ready to Be a Starting QB?

He has had very limited opportunities with the Packers, but Love’s most recent opportunity showed that he’s come a long way since his rookie season.

After being taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, Love has been patiently waiting behind Rodgers, starting just one game over three seasons. The 24-year-old finally got his chance to see significant action again in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he shined in a spirited comeback attempt. Love completed six of nine passes for 113 yards and a touchdown in the loss, posting a 146.8 passer rating.

Love will be on the fourth year of his rookie deal in 2023, with the Packers needing to decide on whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option before the start of the year. Regardless of  what the Packers decide to do, Love’s waited long enough for an opportunity to be a starter in the NFL.