Getty The Packers are "actively calling" about trading to get a new receiving weapon for Aaron Rodgers.
Despite an unexpectedly difficult start, the Green Bay Packers haven’t given up on their season. Case in point, Aaron Rodgers will start under center against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, December 4. But will it be his last start at Soldier Field in a Packers uniform?
Jeff Howe of The Athletic believes it’s reasonably possible that it will be, as the organization is mired in several big questions at the quarterback position.
The Packers quarterback, who turns 39 on Friday, will wait until the offseason to determine his future. The two most logical decisions will be to stay in Green Bay or retire.
But what if he wants out? Furthermore, when the Packers are eliminated from playoff contention — it could happen in the next two or three weeks — what if they move to quarterback Jordan Love and really like what they see?
They would easily get a first-rounder for Rodgers — probably two if Rodgers assures his new team he’ll play at least two more years — and that’d be a major win for a Packers team in restocking mode as they heed $40.3 million in dead cap space with such a trade.
The question then becomes where might the four-time MVP land? There are several possibilities, including the San Francisco 49ers or the Indianapolis Colts. However, the best fit is arguably to send Rodgers to the Las Vegas Raiders in return for quarterback Derek Carr and some draft capital.
Rodgers Would Reunite With Davante Adams in Potential Raiders Deal
GettyQuarterback Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders walks off the field after a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Allegiant Stadium on November 13, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
The notion of shipping Rodgers to the Raiders this offseason, while a little ironic, isn’t entirely new. NBC Sports’ Peter King proposed the idea in his Football Morning in America column last week.
“I think it might not be altogether nonsensical to consider trading Rodgers to Las Vegas for Derek Carr and a third-round pick,” King wrote. “Might being the most important word there.”
The Packers and the Raiders have recent history as trade partners, after Green Bay sent All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to Las Vegas in exchange for a 2023 first-round and second-round pick in March. While Adams has been stellar, his play has not resulted in more wins on the field.
The Raiders have struggled to a 4-7 record with three-time Pro Bowler Carr at the helm and have won 10 games or more with him under center only twice in nine seasons. Alternatively, the entire world knows how well Rodgers and Adams work together, and Josh McDaniels and the rest of the new coaching regime in Vegas need to turn things around fast before the patience of Raiders fans and ownership runs out.
Jordan Love is Linchpin For Packers’ Future at Quarterback
GettyQuarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 19, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The move can work for the Packers as well. Presumably, the team will sideline Rodgers at some point when its playoff chances are entirely lost. Then, finally, Love will have his day and the organization can collect enough data to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option or try to move the former first-round pick for draft considerations.
If they choose the latter, Carr is under contract through 2025 after signing a three-year extension worth $121 million. While he’s never been Rodgers, he’s also never been bad under center, hovering around the conversation as a top 8-12 QB in the league for the last several seasons.
If Love does prove he has the potential be the future of the team under center, the Packers still wouldn’t be in a terrible spot. Green Bay would have the option of extending Love and initiating a subsequent quarterback battle between he and Carr to determine the next several years at the position for the Packers.
Once the battle is over, the second-place finisher would leave Green Bay with a valuable trade chip — a starting-caliber NFL quarterback that offers a decent roster a chance to do real winning who could garner significant draft capital in a second QB trade down the line.