[brid autoplay=”true” video=”779894″ player=”23231″ title=”Green%20Bay%20Packers%20quarterback%20options%20amid%20Aaron%20Rodgers%20drama” duration=”79″ description=”There’s a darn good chance that Aaron Rodgers has played his final game with the Green Bay Packers. Reports broke in late April that the reigning NFL MVP was not happy in Wisconsin and wants to be traded.Said reports were followed up by suggestions that it’s more than likely Rodgers would sit out the entire 2021 season rather than play for the Packers again. Meanwhile, a recent guest host stint on “Jeopardy” could lead to a full-time job for Rodgers and a shocking retirement from the NFL at the age of 37.The backdrop here is the presence of 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love. Due to no fault of his own, Love pretty much led to this Rodgers-related drama with the Packers when they traded up for him in April of 2020.Interestingly enough, there’s some within Green Bay’s front office who believe that the Utah State product is not yet ready to take over for Rodgers should the future first ballot Hall of Famer not remain with the team. It’s in this that the Packers are looking at quarterbacks right now. ” uploaddate=”2021-05-10″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/779894_t_1620684372.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/779894.mp4″]
In yet another sign that not all is well in Titletown despite back-to-back NFC Championship Game appearances, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers publicly declared that he may well play for another team before his career is finished.
During an interview with ESPN’s Kenny Mayne, Rodgers didn’t shy away from questions about his future. Below is a key excerpt from the SportsCenter segment, which will air in full in the coming days:
The Cheeseheads shocked everyone in the 2020 NFL Draft when they traded up in the first round to select Rodgers’ successor, Jordan Love. All Rodgers did was proceed to lead Green Bay to another 13-3 record and win NFL MVP honors.
After a mostly underwhelming free agency period, it’s no surprise Rodgers is continuing to doubt the direction of the organization.
Packers have muddled vision for Aaron Rodgers and the team’s future
Pray tell, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, why would you draft Rodgers’ replacement when he’s still arguably the best QB in the game? And why spend a second-round pick on a running back in AJ Dillon, when Aaron Jones is a legitimate playmaker who you just signed to a four-year contract extension?
Sounds confusing. That’s because it is. Gutekunst and the personnel department have bought a lot of good will by lucking into Brett Favre and Rodgers as their two franchise quarterbacks. Franchises aren’t supposed to get that lucky, yet Green Bay has.
Despite having two legendary, all-time great field generals since 1992, the Pack have a grand total of two Super Bowl wins to show for it.
That’s honestly pathetic. And you can’t really blame Favre or Rodgers for it, yet quarterbacks always take the brunt of the criticism. Rodgers “only” has one Super Bowl. It wouldn’t look so bad if Tom Brady hadn’t won seven, or if Patrick Mahomes hadn’t already won the same amount as Rodgers in his second season as an NFL starter.
But that’s the reality. A big reason why is Green Bay’s refusal to spend big in free agency, adamantly sticking to a perpetual strategy of building through the draft. It’s a cost-effective operation, but one that puts all the onus on the quarterback to carry the team.
The latest twist between Rodgers and the Packers involved their strange refusal to restructure his contract, which would’ve freed up more salary cap space to spend on free agents. CEO Mark Murphy couldn’t give a straight answer as to why this wasn’t done, so who knows if Rodgers wouldn’t budge, or the front office just kept being petty, difficult and ultra conservative with their spending?
You just want to crash Green Bay’s headquarters, get on your hands and knees, and plead to them by exclaiming, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
When Aaron Rodgers could realistically leave Green Bay
Aaron Rodgers will turn 38 in December. While it looks like he still has plenty of juice left to play many more seasons, he does have a rather extensive injury history, and he probably has, at most, a five-year window to win a second championship.
The fact that we’re only talking about one is troubling. Rodgers is too good for such discourse. That’s why he needs to let the Packers see through their crush on Jordan Love and get out of Green Bay.
Let’s take a look at Over the Cap’s calculator and the salary cap numbers for a Rodgers trade and what it’d look like depending on when it happens:
- Traded pre-June 1, 2021: Packers eat $31.56 million in dead cap, save $5.646 million
- Traded post-June 1 in 2021/2022: Packers eat $14.35 million in dead cap, save $22.85 million/$25.5 million
- Traded pre-June 1 in 2022: Packers eat $17.2 million in dead cap, save $22.65 million
- Traded in 2023: Packers eat $2.85 million in dead cap, save $25.5 million
Given that the Packers will eat a fair amount of money either way if they trade Rodgers within the next two years — which they absolutely should to take advantage of Love being on a rookie contract — any suitor won’t have to pay out Rodgers’ full salary.
Any team in their right mind who’d need a QB would throw a ton of compensation at Green Bay, even if it meant Rodgers only had a couple good seasons left. That is, presuming he maintains the level of play he showed in 2020, when he put up 4,299 passing yards with 48 touchdown passes, only five interceptions and a 121.5 passer rating.
So, since Rodgers just won MVP and most teams lacking a legitimate quarterback are slated to take one near the top of the 2021 NFL Draft, expect the Packers to keep him for this season. That doesn’t mean the ship is going to sail smoothly, but fans would be outraged if their QB who just led them to within one win of the Super Bowl twice in a row got abruptly traded away.
Look for a bidding frenzy to take place when Rodgers inevitably demands a trade in 2022. It could make for arguably the most exciting offseason in NFL history.
Related: NFL QB Rankings – Check our top-20 quarterbacks, find out why Josh Allen is No. 1