The Green Bay Packers have played it close to the vest, but indications are beginning to slip out as to their preferences for quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Championship Sunday that the Packers’ are inclined to part ways with Rodgers and clear a path for the Love era to begin in Green Bay.
“League sources believe the franchise prefers to move on from Rodgers, just as it once did with Brett Favre,” Schefter wrote on January 29. “Those sources also believe that Rodgers is well aware of the Packers’ feelings on the situation.”
If Rodgers’ on-field regression in 2022 and his nearly $60 million in guaranteed salary in 2023 have indeed moved the needle in the front office, and the QB is fully in the know on such matters, that would all coalesce to explain some of Rodgers’ comments on the January 24 edition of The Pat McAfee Show.
Rodgers told McAfee that if Green Bay ultimately decided to trade him, that decision “wouldn’t offend me, and it wouldn’t make me feel like a victim.”
Aaron Rodgers Will Have Say in Future Beyond Green Bay Packers
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers reacts after throwing a touchdown pass during a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on January 1, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kayla Wolf/Getty Images)
Whatever happens in Green Bay over the next several weeks, one thing is certain — the four-time MVP will not be a passive actor in the proceedings. Rodgers said as much to McAfee when he dubbed trade talks “conjecture” until he decides what he wants for his future.
The 39-year-old has discussed retirement ahead of his 19th NFL season. While it’s dangerous to try and jump into the head of a player, it strains credulity to believe that Rodgers wants to walk away from more than $100 million, ending his career on an interception at Lambeau Field to the Detroit Lions that locked the Packers out of the playoffs.
A trade seems the likeliest of scenarios because of all of that, as it has since the season ended, with Schefter’s reporting on Sunday going a long way toward confirming that outcome.
Jets, 49ers Teams to Watch if Packers Look to Trade Rodgers
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers scrambles away from pass rusher Joey Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Lambeau Field on January 22, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
As such, the New York Jets appear the favorites to land Rodgers simply because they have the most incentive to trade for him. The Jets are a big market team with promising offensive weapons and an elite defense, but no answers at quarterback currently on the roster.
Even still, Rodgers is going to have to want to play in New York for a deal to get done, and he has given no indication either way as to his preferences of new team — at least not this year. But in the past, Rodgers has stumped for another franchise as his potential team of the future.
The quarterback made plenty of waves two years ago in an attempt to force his way to the San Francisco 49ers before that franchise ultimately drafted Trey Lance with the third overall pick. Now, Lance appears to have lost his position to seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy, who leads the Niners into battle today against the Philadelphia Eagles for a chance to play in the Super Bowl. Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo also appears on his way out, and Rodgers makes for a hell of a bridge to the future surrounded by a roster that has played in three NFC Championship Games in four years.
As for what Green Bay can expect back in a deal for Rodgers, the general consensus has been at least a first-round pick, with projections beyond that varying. A smart bet is that the Packers could pull in a first-rounder along with a third- or fourth-rounder for Rodgers, but can’t ask for much more considering his age, future playing window and contract situation.
However, if a couple of heavy-hitting franchises in big markets — such as the Jets and the Niners — get into a bidding war, the price of acquiring Rodgers may climb significantly higher.
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Packers Indicate Intention to Trade 4-Time All Pro: Report