We have engaged in great debates in this space the merits of the Washington Football Team "going all-in'' on the idea of trading for disgruntled Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. WFT coach Ron Rivera has suggested, in so many words, that he's reluctant to overpay for a QB. Others think there is almost no such thing as an "overpay'' when it comes to what the MVP would bring to DC.
And the side former Washington cornerback Fred Smoot falls on?
“I’m a big Aaron Rodgers guy,” Smoot said. “If Aaron Rodgers is on this team, with an elite defense, running game, wide receiving corps, we are a legit Super Bowl contender. We couldn’t say that for 30 years. We are legit a Super Bowl contender.”
Smoot, visiting in a recent appearance on BMitch and Finlay on DC’s 106.7 The Fan, surely recognizes how unlikely the possibility is. First, there is the issue of whether Green Bay will really part with the star QB; logic says that at some point, cooler heads may prevail. Then there is the issue of putting up with Rodgers, who seems in a permanent state of disgruntlement (and might also be angling for a pricy contract extension). And finally there is the bidding war that would ensue if Green Bay truly put the quarterback on the market.
But Smoot envisions the WFT being able to win that bidding war.
“We have the (trade capital) to get him,” Smoot said. “I hate to say it, but you might have to part with one of them bad defensive lineman.”
Would Washington, if it could somehow acquire Rodgers, swap out premium picks plus a player like star defensive end Chase Young? Would doing so leave the WFT with a still stout defense and a suddenly dangerous offense featuring Rodgers working with Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel and Antonio Gibson in a way that would transform the Football Team into one of the best teams in the NFL?
That is not necessarily Washington's vision. But it is Smoot's vision. And it is a tantalizing one, no arguments there.
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