With San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffering a UCL tear, the idea of Tom Brady signing with the team becomes a “natural consideration,” according to The Athletic. That would open the door to the Las Vegas Raiders trading for the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, according to one NFL general manager.
“If Brady is in San Francisco, then I think Rodgers goes to Vegas,” the unidentified GM said to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post for a story published January 27, two days before Purdy was injured in the NFC championship game.
Rodgers, 39, is wrapping up the first year of a three-year, $150 million deal with the Packers, who appear willing to entertain the idea of parting ways with their quarterback of the last 18 years, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Raiders, meanwhile, are expected to trade their longtime quarterback, Derek Carr, by February 15, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, because that is when Carr’s $40.5 million salary for 2023 becomes fully guaranteed.
Trading for Rodgers “would reunite Rodgers with top receiver Davante Adams in an offense loaded with weapons,” La Canfora wrote. Adams, a six-time Pro Bowler, spent eight years playing with Rodgers. “The Raiders want to make a splash, and they could put the franchise tag on Josh Jacobs, the NFL’s leading rusher, and focus on bolstering their defense. At this point, I doubt it would take more than a mid-round pick to get Rodgers.”
Aaron Rodgers for a Mid-Round Pick?
La Canfora’s suggesting that the Packers wouldn’t net anything more than a third-round pick in exchange for Rodgers effectively puts Rodgers at the same level as Matt Ryan, whom the Atlanta Falcons traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-rounder before the 2022 season. Ryan wound up being benched (twice) by the Colts.
Rodgers, however, is just one season removed from winning back-to-back NFL MVP awards and is a surefire future Hall of Famer.
The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt wrote on January 26 that it would take considerably more to pry Rodgers from Green Bay, even it meant the Packers didn’t have pay to his $59.5 million salary next year.
“It would be surprising if Rodgers were traded for anything less than multiple first-round picks, and probably more,” Rosenblatt wrote. “Any acquiring team would be smart, though, to attach conditions to the trade in the event that Rodgers retired after 2023.”
NBC Sports’ Peter King also suggested that the Packers’ price for Rodgers would be considerably higher than what the unidentified general manager in La Canfora’s story predicted.
“My guess is the Pack would want at least two first-round picks,” King wrote on January 23.
Rodgers himself would have to OK any trade, but he has suggested that he’d be willing to restructure his contract, apparently recognizing that “his current contract probably isn’t viable for the Green Bay Packers or any other team,” according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. That is if Rodgers decides to continue playing football in 2023. Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” on January 24, Rodgers appeared noncommittal. “All the other ideas about [a] trade and whatnot, that’s all conjecture until I decide what I want to do moving forward for myself,” Rodgers told McAfee.
Does Aaron Rodgers Get Raiders Over the Hump?
Rodgers wasn’t much better than Carr in 2022. He threw 26 touchdown passes to Carr’s 24 while throwing 12 interceptions, which is the second most of his career and most since 2008, when he became the Packers’ starting quarterback. Carr had 14 interceptions in two fewer starts. The Packers, like the Raiders, also missed the playoffs. Rodgers’ 3,695 passing yards is the lowest in his career when playing a full season.
Rodgers was throwing to rookie wide receivers in 2022. Besides Adams, the Raiders have established veteran receivers such as Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow and a star running back, Josh Jacobs.
Head coach Josh McDaniels struggled in his first year as the head coach, but he’s widely regarded as one of the strongest offensive minds in the NFL.
Should the Raiders reunite Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams this offseason? 😳
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GM Predicts Raiders to Trade for $150 Million Superstar