The Green Bay Packers could be stuck in limbo waiting on Aaron Rodgers to decide on his future in 2023, but general manager Brian Gutekunst could rip the band-aid off by shipping the back-to-back MVP to the AFC in a blockbuster trade.
At 39 years old, Rodgers hasn’t looked like the same player without his superstar receiver Davante Adams. While Packers fans have dreamed about a Rodgers-Adams reunion, the veteran QB has had to adapt and get acclimated with his young receivers in Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
However, if the Packers want to jumpstart the Jordan Love era and move on from their aging superstar QB, Doug Farrar with Touchdown Wire shared an ideal trade scenario for the team. In his latest mock draft, he framed it with the Packers sending Rodgers to the New York Jets in exchange for three first-round picks and a pair of second-round picks from 2023 through 2025.
“You can do a lot of roster-building with four picks in the top 50, and let’s say it’s time to give Jordan Love command of Green Bay’s offense,” Farrar said. “2022 marks the end of Love’s third NFL season, and he’s mostly lined the bench behind one of the NFL’s all-time greats. That’s what happened to Rodgers from 2005-2007, when he obviously played behind Brett Favre… and then, the Packers pulled the trigger on the succession plan.”
With the trade proposal giving the Packers two first-round picks in 2023, Farrar went on to have the team take Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski in the mock draft.
Can Jordan Love Succeed in Green Bay?
Although fans have only seen flashes of Love in meaningful action, the Packers might have enough confidence to ride with their current backup quarterback as the starter in 2023.
Love was taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft despite playing for a smaller program in Utah State. While the original plan was for Love to take over for Rodgers shortly after being drafted, plans changed once Rodgers went on a tear that helped him win Most Valuable Player in both 2020 and 2021.
Now, Love has been anxiously waiting behind the future Hall of Famer for any opportunity. He saw his first significant playing time of the season when Rodgers exited the game against the Philadelphia Eagles with an injury, and shined in just a handful of drives. He completed six of nine passes in the loss, throwing for 113 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 146.8.
With the 24-year-old showing that he’s capable of playing at the NFL level, Love is understandably getting anxious about finding a starting opportunity in the league. The Packers quarterback is even reportedly considering a trade request if Rodgers returns as the starter in 2023.
A lot could change in the coming months, but right now Love’s future is up in the air while Rodgers decides what he wants to do in 2023 and beyond.
Could Aaron Rodgers Retire in 2023?
While Love is waiting for his opportunity in Green Bay, fans are also waiting to see what Rodgers decides to do this offseason.
Rodgers seriously contemplated retirement last offseason before signing a massive three-year contract extension. However, with Rodgers set to hit 40 years old in December of 2023, it’s unlikely that the Packers quarterback will see the end of that contract if he is already considering retirement.
To make matters more complicated, Green Bay’s cap situation becomes incredibly dicey if Rodgers chooses to retire before the extension is over. If he decided to hang up his cleats this offseason, the Packers would be taking on a $40 million dead cap hit that would cripple the team financially for 2023.
It’s a complicated situation, but Packers fans will get a better idea of what the future holds in the coming months.
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Blockbuster Trade Proposal Ships Packers’ Aaron Rodgers to AFC in 2023