Getty Aaron Rodgers playing against the San Francisco 49ers.
After being linked to the Jets since the start of free agency, with conversations between New York general manager Joe Douglas and Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, the San Francisco 49ers have reportedly re-engaged Green Bay about the prospects of acquiring Aaron Rodgers.
Discussing the as-of-yet uncompleted Rodgers trade on FS1, Packers Insider Craig Carton noted that not only would the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback be open to playing for San Francisco, but that John Lynch and company have actually engaged their Green Bay counterparts on a trade.
“Aaron Rodgers would absolutely want to play for this franchise, and the franchise is the San Francisco 49ers. They have Trey Lance coming off a broken ankle,” Carton said via All 49ers FN. “They’ve got Brock Purdy, who’s not going to be throwing the ball until August or September. And they signed Sam Darnold. They do not have a (franchise) quarterback right now. Maybe Trey becomes a stud — we don’t know. Aaron Rodgers is from the area and has always said he might want to go home one day.
“Now, he famously also said he wants to stick it to San Francisco for not drafting me. Well, he already has done that. So here’s the reality: San Francisco does not have a first-round draft pick in this draft — they gave them all away to get Trey Lance. They do, however, because of compensatory picks, have three third-round picks. So the conversation has been multiple third-round picks in this draft and a first-round pick in next year’s draft.”
Would the 49ers actually consider surrendering two or even all three of their third-round picks in 2023, plus their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft for Rodgers, who is under contract until 2024 as part of a three-year, $150.815 restructured extension that he agreed to in March of 2022? Considering the team’s owner noted the 49ers want to take advantage of having a quarterback on a rookie-scale contract to build out a roster with players like Javon Hargrave, that might not be the case.
The 49ers are ready to pursue Aaron Rodgers if the Packers deal with the Jets falls through says @craigcartonlive 👀
The San Francisco 49ers Want to Build Around a Young QB
Discussing the 49ers’ roster-building philosophy at the NFL league meetings back in March, Jed York noted that the team is currently excited about the prospects of building around cheap options under center, as it allows them to maximize the talent across the rest of the roster.
“We wanted to be able to have a young quarterback on a rookie contract that allows you to be able to say, all right, Javon’s kind of a bonus,” York said via The Athletic. “There’s a delta between what you’re spending on your quarterback versus what everyone is spending on their quarterback. And I hope that one of these guys gets a massive extension with the San Francisco 49ers at some point. But until then, we’re going to make sure that we build this thing around a young quarterback with a very team-friendly contact.”
While Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the position, with 10 Pro Bowl appearances, four All-Pro appearances, and scores of other awards to his credit, having to pay him $15.72 million in 2023 – according to Dov Kleiman – would fly in the face of that plan, and create cap issues for a team with just $3 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.
Rodgers Isn’t the Only Veteran QB the 49ers Have Discussed
Besides Rodgers, the 49ers have reportedly had conversations about another veteran quarterback with ties to the Bay Area, as Mike Florio reported at Pro Football Talk.
“At the Scouting Combine, there were rumors of a potential trade that would have sent Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins to the 49ers,” Florio wrote.
Now, clearly, the conversations between San Francisco and Minnesota didn’t go anywhere, as Cousins remains a Viking, not a 49er. With Sam Darnold since signed in the weeks preceding the combine, it’s worth wondering if Kyle Shanahan still has any interest in his former Washington quarterback or if that ship has since sailed, assuming it was ever serious at all.