Getty Aaron Rodgers with Derek Carr.
Believe it or not, there was a time where it looked like Aaron Rodgers was going to be a Raider. Back in 2005, the team had a need at quarterback and Rodgers fell right on their lap. They decided to take cornerback Fabian Washington, who ended up being a bust. It was a very poor decision by a franchise that was made many over the last two decades.
The Raiders had a chance to correct their mistake by trading a disgruntled Randy Moss for Rodgers. That didn’t happen and the team traded Moss to New England for a fourth-round pick. Obviously, that was a catastrophically bad decision by the Raiders.
Rodgers just recently turned 37 and is still playing at an elite level. He brought up the previous Raiders rumors on his birthday.
“When Oakland traded up,” Rodgers said Wednesday, “I thought I was going to be going to Oakland on draft day. When there were rumors about me being traded for Randy Moss, I thought that might be a possibility.”
Rodgers played college ball at Berkeley and is from Northern California. It would’ve been a perfect fit at the time. If only the late Al Davis could’ve pulled off a move for the future Hall of Famer.
ALL the latest Raiders news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on Raiders Newsletter!
Would Rodgers Have Had Success in Oakland?
It’s easy to look at how Rodgers has done over his career and assume he’d have done the same thing with the Raiders. However, that probably wouldn’t have been the case. The Green Bay Packers have been the model of consistency over the last two or three decades. The Raiders have only been to the playoffs once since Rodgers entered the NFL.
In Green Bay, Rodgers has had some great wide receiver talent like Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings and Randall Cobb. He probably wouldn’t have had talent like that in Oakland. That said, Rodgers has proven before that he’s special even when he doesn’t have great talent around him.
He probably wouldn’t have the same gaudy career numbers he does now had he been a Raider but there’s no doubt he would’ve helped turn the franchise around. Rodgers is simply too good. The history of the NFL and the history of the Raiders would be very different had the two sides joined forces. Rodgers has nothing to complain about as he’s had great success in Green Bay but it will forever be one of the biggest missed opportunities for the Raiders franchise.
Derek Carr Nominated for Art Rooney Award
The Raiders could’ve found a long-term quarterback solution had they acquired Rodgers in 2005 or 2007. They didn’t find a consistent option at quarterback until they drafted Derek Carr in 2014. He may not be Rodgers but Carr has brought the team a level of stability at the position that they hadn’t had for years.
The Raiders recently announced that Carr is their nomination for the 2020 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. This is the fifth straight year the team has nominated the quarterback.
READ NEXT: Raiders’ Jon Gruden Gets Desperate: ‘If You Know Somebody, Call Me’