Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers in NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lambeau Field on January 22, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes are on and, despite remaining under contract, the Green Bay Packers are putting together a pitch just like all the other teams interested in landing the three-time MVP.
A top trade contender emerging in recent weeks are the Denver Broncos who finished the 2021 regular season a disappointing 7-10, good enough for dead last in a competitive AFC West Division. Despite the win/loss record, Denver’s roster is strong enough to contend in the AFC if the team can find a better answer at quarterback than Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Lock. The Broncos probably have the draft capital to get a deal done for a QB ready for a new situation, as Denver will select 9th in 2022 and can package their top-10 pick with several others from this year and the next.
Enter Rodgers and the perennially under-achieving Packers with whom the quarterback has had recent and serious tensions. Rodgers said last weekend that much of that conflict is now water under the bridge, but odds makers still believe there’s a good chance the QB has played his last game in green and gold.
The FOX Bet Live Instagram account posted a graphic Wednesday that indicated the Broncos are +150 to land Rodgers this offseason, which would only happen via a trade with the Packers. That calculation is partially due to the kind of high-level draft package the Broncos could, and likely would, be willing to put together in return for the star signal caller.
Green Bay remains the favorite to retain Rodgers at -110, according to FOX’s gambling analysts, but Denver is right on their heels and it wouldn’t take much to tip the scales.
“It’s gonna be a tough decision, a lot of things to weigh in the coming weeks,” Rodgers said of his playing future after the San Francisco 49ers eliminated Green Bay from the playoffs yet again on Saturday, January 22.
Behind the Packers and the Broncos on the list of favorites for Rodgers’ services are the Pittsburgh Steelers (+300), the 49ers (+700) and the Indianapolis Colts (+1100).
Rodgers’ Excellence Has Failed to Equate to Titles in Green Bay
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers, of the Green Bay Packers, warms up prior to a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on January 2, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Green Bay was the No. 1 seed in the playoffs again this season, but again the team could not find its way to the Super Bowl. The Niners upended the Packers’ run by way of a fourth-quarter blocked punt and a subsequent 13-10 victory in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs. Green Bay fell in the NFC Championship Round the two seasons prior, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Niners, respectively.
Rodgers has been great during the regular season and is in line to win the fourth MVP Award of his career. But as elite as the QB can consistently be, his collective postseason performance of just one Super Bowl appearance and one ring is unquestionably an underachievement considering the type of career he has had.
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The Packers, on the other hand, have a handful of top players like wide receiver Davante Adams, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and elite edge rusher Za’Darius Smith whose futures with the team are in question due to salary cap concerns. Green Bay had a Super Bowl roster in 2021. That they will again in 2022 is not a guarantee.
Rodgers said after the loss to San Francisco that he has no desire to be part of a rebuild. But from a financial perspective, the Packers may not have any other choice. Rodgers’ cap hit is more than $46 million in 2022 and if he chooses not to renegotiate his deal, Green Bay will probably have to trade him. When looking at potential trade partners, the Broncos make a good deal of sense on both sides.
Trade Proposal Sends Rodgers to Broncos For Huge Draft Package
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers, of the Green Bay Packers, could be on his way to the AFC West Division.
Michell Bruton, of Bleacher Report, put together feasible trade options last week that would land high-end NFL QBs with wide receiver talents worthy of their complements. She started off with Rodgers to the Broncos in return for Denver’s 1st and 2nd round picks in 2022, their 1st and 2nd round picks in 2023, and QB Drew Lock.
Bruton also mentioned the Broncos’ interest in Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s new head coach serving as a potential bridge to getting a Rodgers deal done. Hackett was named one of three finalists for the job on Monday, per Ian Rapoport, the same day he arrived in Denver for his second interview.
It’s now common knowledge that Denver Broncos general manager George Paton was interested in pursuing a trade for Aaron Rodgers last April. … The Broncos still don’t seem to have found their quarterback of the future, either.
If the Broncos could sell Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on taking the head coaching vacancy in Denver, could Rodgers follow?
Bruton went on to cite Peter King, of Football Morning in America, who pointed out that if the Packers keep Rodgers in 2023 and can’t get the job done in the playoffs, the QB can walk for nothing but a compensatory third-round pick. If they decide to move on from him now, chances are Green Bay could get at least a couple first round selections in return for Rodgers, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
The hypothetical move would free up cap space to sign other important pieces, bring Drew Lock in to compete with Jordan Love at quarterback and allow the Packers freedom to pursue a third candidate for the starting spot under center either via free agency, the trade market or the draft. In this scenario, the Packers would also acquire massive draft capital to position themselves to select the collegiate QB of their choice, though the 2022 draft class is considered weak at that position.
Rodgers, on the other hand, would join an offensive roster that includes young talents in WR Jerry Jeudy, WR Courtland Sutton and WR Tim Patrick, as well as TE Noah Fant and RB Javonte Williams — all five of whom are under contract for at least the next two seasons.