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The Denver Broncos were linked to an Aaron Rodgers trade leading up to last week’s NFL Draft. While nothing came to fruition on that end, general manager George Paton is apparently putting on a full-court press to land Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers.
“The Denver Broncos continue to be the team I hear that are going to be the most interested (in Aaron Rodgers), and are going to put the most in front of the Green Bay Packers to try to make this trade go down,” ESPN’s Dianna Russini noted on Tuesday.
Denver’s interest in Rodgers can’t be considered too much of a surprise. It passed up on the likes of fellow quarterbacks Mac Jones and Justin Fields with the ninth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft last week in favor of cornerback Patrick Surtain II. In fact, Denver did not select a single signal caller in the annual event.
For now, the Broncos are set to watch Drew Lock and the recently-acquired Teddy Bridgewater compete for a starting job. That might not be the case come time for training camp this summer after Aaron Rodgers requested a trade from the Green Bay Packers.
While Green Bay’s brass continues to push back against the idea of trading the all-time great, it might have no choice. That’s magnified further now that Rodgers has threatened to potentially sit out the 2021 season if he’s not traded. If the future first ballot Hall of Famer is moved, here’s three ideal trade scenarios to the Broncos.
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Aaron Rodgers trade to the Denver Broncos, scenario one
- Broncos get: Aaron Rodgers
- Packers get: Bradley Chubb, Patrick Surtain II, two future first-round picks
If the Packers are forced to trade Rodgers, it’s going to be for one of the largest bounties we’ve ever seen for a player in modern NFL history. We’re talking about multiple players and top-round draft picks heading back to Green Bay as the team attempts to retool on the fly under young quarterback Jordan Love.
This scenario includes the Packers adding two young star defenders in Chubb and Surtain II. Both were recent top-10 picks and could add another component to Green Bay’s defense with holdover stars Jaire Alexander and Za’Darius Smith. Those four would make up a core group that could very well be among the top-three defenses in the NFL. In turn, Denver gets its franchise quarterback to team up with stud receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.
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Aaron Rodgers trade to the Denver Broncos, scenario two
- Broncos get: Aaron Rodgers
- Packers get: Jerry Jeudy, Patrick Surtain II, 2022 first-round pick, two future second-round picks
Green Bay might want to get more weapons for Love if it is forced to move off Rodgers. That’s where the electric Jeudy comes into play. The 22-year-old former first-round pick tallied 52 receptions for 856 yards as a rookie last season. He’d form a tremendous trio with star pass-catcher Davante Adams and rookie Amari Rodgers. As for Surtain II, we’re talking about a shutdown corner duo with the aforementioned Alexander. Add in three future early-round picks, and this could be enough for Green Bay to pull the trigger.
To say that Denver would be giving up a lot in this hypothetical Aaron Rodgers trade would be an understatement. That’s two future first-round pick and two recent Day 1 selections for a 37-year-old quarterback. Even then, the Broncos have been attempting to find a franchise guy ever since Peyton Manning retired following the 2015 season. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
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Aaron Rodgers trade to the Denver Broncos, scenario three
- Broncos get: Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams
- Packers get: Drew Lock, Courtland Sutton, Patrick Surtain II, Noah Fant, two future first-round picks, future second-round pick
Let’s get crazy. There’s absolutely no telling how Rodgers’ situation in Green Bay will impact Adams’ future with the Packers. What we do know is that the impending free agent wide receiver sent out a cryptic social media post recently, which pretty much dogged on his current team for their handling of Rodgers. We also know that no substantive long-term contract talks have taken place between the two sides.
In this hypothetical Rodgers trade, Green Bay pretty much starts anew on offense. A former Pro Bowler, Sutton would take over as Jordan Love’s top target. Noah Fant would give the Packers that tight end they’ve been missing in recent years. Add in Surtain as well as three early-round picks and that’s a haul. As for the Broncos, adding Adams to the mix with Jeudy would create an elite pairing for Rodgers.