A year ago, who would have thought we’d be here? Aaron Rodgers had reported to voluntary OTAs after the Green Bay Packers had just drafted his replacement in Jordan Love, and while there were questions about the team’s future, whether Rodgers would be The Guy was never one of them.
Flash forward 12 months. Rodgers, who has publicly stated he would love to be the full-time host of Jeopardy!, has yet to report to any team-related activity, and instead has gone on record criticizing the culture of the only team he has ever played for. Anyone who predicted this needs to quit whatever job they have and take up full-time lottery playing.
Now, several months into the drama between Rodgers and what essentially appears to be the Packers organization in the form of general manager Brian Gutekunst, things look more bleak than ever where Rodgers’ future in Green Bay is concerned. And yet, one prominent NFL insider says the reigning MVP has virtually zero trade market at present.
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NFL Insider Lays Out Bleak Trade Scenarios for Rodgers
On the June 11 episode of The Bill Simmons podcast, NFL insider Peter Schrager spoke to Simmons about the situation with Rodgers and the Packers, and Schrager, who has several sources throughout the league, doesn’t think there’s much of a market for Rodgers.
The Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos have been among the teams rumored to be interested in a possible trade, with the 49ers being the only one admitting to inquiring about the reigning MVP. According to Schrager, the majority of teams around the league are good at quarterback, thank you very much.
“Draft weekend, I’m thinking he’s gonna be a Raider, no problem,” Schrager said about the idea of Rodgers heading to Vegas. “I got stuff back from people around the league, one source who’s really tied into the Raiders. Look — they’re sold out in that new stadium. They are doing very well. They don’t need his face on a billboard. It’s not like they need anything to add to their bottom line.”
Schrager also says the Raiders are quite happy with Derek Carr. “The final piece to it is, now you’re getting a little later in the season, it’s gonna be July soon, it’s gonna be August, I’m not sure if (Raiders coach Jon) Gruden just rips it all up and says: ‘Here’s three first-round picks.’ And as good as Aaron Rodgers is, I don’t know if part of them is like: ‘We’re 10 toes down on Derek Carr.'”
Does he think there are any teams who could be waiting in the wings?
“I think Denver makes more sense than Las Vegas at the moment,” he said, adding: “I don’t know many teams other than Denver.”
Plus, there’s this to consider: “I don’t think Green Bay wants to trade him.”
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Schrager: I Think Packers Would Rather See Him Retire
“I think they’d rather see him retire or just not play then suit up for the Denver Broncos and take them to the Super Bowl,” Schrager said about where he thinks the Packers are with the the Rodgers trade rumors.
“I don’t think they’re going to do anything based on what Aaron Rodgers wants,” Schrager added. “After this whole thing, I don’t think the Packers are going to say: ‘Well, where would Aaron be happy?’ That’s not their concern at the moment.”
Unless something major happens, Rodgers sitting out the 2021 season is looking more and more like a reality, with the trade market likely opening back up in 2022.
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NFL Insider on Packers & Aaron Rodgers: ‘They’d Rather See Him Retire’