After 18 years with the Green Bay Packers, could this be the offseason where Aaron Rodgers gets traded to a new team? No one truly knows what’s going on inside the mind of the 39-year-old four-time NFL MVP. With an upcoming four-day darkness isolation retreat on his offseason itinerary, not even the Chico, California native himself seems to know what his future holds.
With the 26th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, Jordan Love waiting in the wings while also entering the final year of his contract, the Packers may be more open to parting with their longtime QB.
While Rodgers is currently under contract through the 2026 season, there’s a growing sense that either he or the Packers could prefer a divorce this offseason.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is now “more convinced than ever” that the New York Jets will “aggressively” target the four-time All-Pro gunslinger in an attempt to build upon the momentum of their recent success. Fowler noted the “strong Senior Bowl buzz” swarming around Rodgers rumors linking him to the Big Apple while indicating the Packers QB was the Jets’ top target this offseason.
- Aaron Rodgers stats in 2022: 64.6% comp, 3,695 passing yards, 26 TD, 12 INT
While usually, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, he senses that a trade is not close to completion, citing Green Bay’s high asking price, which is unknown. Rodgers has a cap hit of $31.6 million for the 2023 season.
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Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes expected to include Las Vegas Raiders too
The Jets are clearly expected to get involved in the veteran QB market, yet they won’t be the only team interested in acquiring the Super Bowl winner. With the Las Vegas Raiders expected to trade Derek Carr any day now, plus the ties to Davante Adams, we could see the Silver and Black get involved in the Rodgers trade discussions as well.
Either way, the opportunity to land a proven quarterback doesn’t come around often, and for Rodgers, he may see the opportunity to land with a top-tier defense and a surging cast of receivers like the Jets have as more enticing than sticking around in Green Bay with an inconsistent, yet improving group of pass-catchers. The same could be said for the Raiders, where a reunion with Adams could be too intriguing to pass up.
Ultimately, it may come down to Rodgers’ perception of who can help him get back to the promised land for another chance at a Lombardi Trophy. Both the Raiders and Packers missed the postseason a year ago, and they had quarterbacks who have made a Pro Bowl, but the Jets? Coach Robert Saleh’s team may feel like they’re a quarterback away from contention.
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