Aaron Rodgers Trade To Washington? A Dallas Cowboys Problem

 Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay and reportedly prefers to move toward the West Coast. The Washington Football Team is on the record - in words and in actions - as not wanting to give up huge capital for a QB.

So how is this a match?

The Dallas Cowboys better hope it is not.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell has constructed "seven deals from teams that could be considered viable candidates to make one of the biggest trades in recent league history.'' And he places the WFT as the second-most likely destination.

It's an entertaining notion - and the Cowboys, as haughty as they can sometimes seem, would surely acknowledge that a Rodgers-led WFT, which is the defending NFC East champ, after all, represents a frightening thought.

But before the scare ... is there anything there?

Barnwell dutifully points out some of the obstacles, which include the Packers' stated desire to retain the future Hall-of-Famer, the $30 million Rodgers might owe back to the team if he quits, the fact that he is both an MVP and in decline, and the $37.2 million in dead money Green Bay would have to eat in a trade.

So, onto ESPN's proposal ... and our thoughts:

Packers get: 2022 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2023 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and DT Matt Ioannidis.

On the plus side, in our view: A Rodgers-led Washington team would jump near the top of the NFC as a Super Bowl contender - and isn't that the point of it all?

On the minus side:

*Barnwell writes that "Washington would have to pay more than its AFC competition to get a deal done.'' This, philosophically, goes against everything WFT boss Ron Rivera has told us about "capital.''

*We're also not sure why Green Bay wants to take on Fitzpatrick when part of the reason for this issue is the Packers presence of young QB Bryce Love.

*Aaron Rodgers is ... a drama queen. In addition to our bet that he would like more money (something rarely mentioned by his cadre of media supporters), he wants to be on the West Coast. That's lovely; he's from Northern California and his girlfriend is a Hollywood starlet and a native of Colorado, so moving to the 49ers, Raiders or Broncos makes sense for him.

But try to ship him someplace not of his liking? His history - including this very episode - demonstrates that he will make trouble for you.

There is an easier way for Green Bay to proceed: Work just as hard at repairing the relationship as the media is working to conjure up trades.

As for Dallas, which had its own dance with QB Dak Prescott - but never this sort of ugliness: Rodgers has long been a thorn in the side of the Cowboys. "The best throw you've ever seen''? Cowboys fans all too easily can visualize the options that come from the arm of Rodgers vs. Dallas alone.

Rodgers has also been a thorn in the side of Dallas coach Mike McCarthy - and it was even thorny when the two of them worked "together'' in Green Bay. 

Nah, the Cowboys don't want to see this guy in Washington. They don't want to play him twice a year. And they won't like it when the WFT's roster is suddenly better than theirs.

Better to let the superstar QB who is a pain in the neck go become coach Gruden's solution/problem in Vegas, right?

And then the Cowboys can turn their attention to the next NFC East QB trade worry: That the Philadelphia Eagles will soon be calling Houston about Deshaun Watson.