Getty The Green Bay Packers could add another weapon for Aaron Rodgers in 2023.
Several NFL franchises are expected to be interested if the Green Bay Packers put Aaron Rodgers on the trade block, including some of the team’s fiercest rivals.
One semi-sleeper in contention is the Seattle Seahawks, who own four of the first 52 picks in the upcoming draft. Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus posited on December 21 that Rodgers is worth upwards of two first-round selections and two second-round selections, which Seattle can comfortably accommodate.
If the Seahawks decide to get into the Rodgers business this offseason, they can arguably offer the most lucrative draft package in return for the QB. Seattle picked up the No. 5 and No. 37 overall picks in a trade last offseason that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. An exchange that included the Seahawks’ No. 20 pick in the first round this year, the No. 37 pick in the second round in 2023 and a first-rounder in 2024 would probably be enough to get a deal done if Rodgers and the Packers are ready to part ways.
Aaron Rodgers Still Worth Major Draft Haul in Potential Packers Trade
GettyGreen Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers still possesses significant trade value at 39 years old.
It’s a stretch to think Seattle will be willing to part with the No. 5 pick for the 39-year-old Rodgers, especially when the Seahawks would be taking a big financial burden off Green Bay’s hands by making the trade.
“Moving on from Rodgers via trade this offseason is the only real way Green Bay can get out of this deal without too much damage — around $40 million in total dead cap — though dead cap is less of a consideration with a back-to-back MVP quarterback in his final years,” Spielberger wrote.
However, a couple of mid- to late-first rounders and an early second-rounder feels like almost a bargain for Rodgers based on what Seattle got back for Wilson just last offseason.
“Even with Rodgers turning 39 … in December and playing on the richest contract in the NFL, he’s still potentially worth a trade package roughly in line with Russell Wilson’s — though perhaps Wilson’s performance scares some teams from pulling the trigger,” Spielberger wrote. “Rodgers has shown recently he can adapt to new systems and isn’t at risk of regressing to the same magnitude. There are no real concerns from a play standpoint, but he may not offer a large enough playing window to command a return of this degree.”
Another twist that makes Seattle a unique landing spot for Rodgers is that if the Seahawks traded for the QB but held onto the fifth overall pick, they could draft a signal caller — perhaps Will Levis or C.J. Stroud — to play behind Rodgers for a couple of seasons. In the meantime, the team can capitalize on the window created by a four-time MVP under center throwing to the dynamic receiving duo of D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
The Seahawks mustered a winning season and a playoff berth in 2022 on the arm of resurgent QB Geno Smith, as both he and the team exceeded all expectations. It makes more sense for Seattle to look elsewhere for a quarterback, however, as Smith is a free agent and will be looking to cash in off of his career year. He played for Seattle last season on a one-year deal worth $7 million.
Green Bay Trading QB Aaron Rodgers is ‘Real Possibility’
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after a successful two-point conversion during a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on December 4, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Trade talk has swirled around Rodgers for the better part of three years, beginning basically immediately after Green Bay traded up in 2020 to draft QB Jordan Love late in the first round.
Some QB updates from ESPN’s Postseason NFL Countdown on Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Derek Carr and Lamar Jackson:
Discussions were already up and running again in January, even before ESPN’s Adam Schefter added fuel to the fire by reporting on Saturday that both Rodgers and the Packers know that “a trade is a very real scenario this offseason.”
Among the potential suitors for Rodgers, along with the Seahawks, are the New York Jets, the Las Vegas Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts.