It’s that time on the NFL calendar. Mark it. Aaron Rodgers trade rumors from the Green Bay Packers kicking into high gear.
Mere weeks after their down 2022 season came to a conclusion without earning a spot in the playoffs, the Packers are reportedly willing to trade their future Hall of Fame quarterback. This comes after a 2022 offseason filled with rumors regarding Rodgers’ future in the NFL.
Making another appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Rodgers addressed the rumors linking him to other teams in a potential trade. In the process, the 39-year-old signal caller refused to commit to even playing next season.
“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.
Rodgers did note that he never really thought about playing for another team outside of the Packers until they made the decision to select fellow quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
In continuing his conversation with McAfee, Rodgers said that there are “two sides” to a decision like this and that the Packers “might want to move on” in a different direction ahead of the 2023 season starting.
That aligns with recent reports suggesting Green Bay is open to moving Rodgers to an AFC team. The asking price at this point is said to be at least two first-round picks with one owner in the other conference seemingly open to giving that up.
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Aaron Rodgers addresses future, seems open to playing for another team
Rodgers also knows that there’s a financial component to this all. He’s owed a whopping $60 million in 2023. In fact, the Packers would take on a near $100 million dead cap hit if they were to trade the four-time NFL MVP with his current contract remaining in place.
It’s in this that he talked about the need to redo his deal in order to either remain with Green Bay or be traded to another team.
“Definitely things would have to shift. There would have to be some adjustments for sure,” Rodgers told McAfee.
Rodgers would have a cap hit of $31.6 million for an acquiring team. The figure climbs to $40.7 million in 2024. Based on the three-year, $150.8 million extension Rodgers signed with Green Bay last March, there would still be a huge $59.3 million cap hit the following year if he were to retire after the 2024 campaign. Hence, why working out a new deal would have to be in the cards here.
- Aaron Rodgers career stats: 103.6 QB rating, 59,055 passing yards, 475 passing touchdowns
As you can see, Rodgers has been among the best statistical quarterbacks in modern NFL history. Though, he did see some regression in 2022 with just 26 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions while relying on an unproven crop of wide receivers.
Thus far, Rodgers has been linked to the likes of the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets in the AFC. At this point, Green Bay has no plans to trade him to a conference rival.
Of course, this is all dependent on Aaron Rodgers actually opting to play in 2023. He’s talked about retirement in the past and is keeping that door wide open.