There’s no telling whether the Green Bay Packers will be forced to trade reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. By now, it’s well known that Rodgers has requested to be moved following yet another loss in the NFC Championship Game.
The 37-year-old quarterback is unhappy about Green Bay’s decision to trade up for fellow quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s also unhappy about the direction of the organization under embattled general manager Brian Gutekunst.
What we do know is that Rodgers has threatened to sit out the 2021 season or retire altogether if the Packers do not grant him his trade request. We now have more information on this situation from Packers insider Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The veteran reporter noted recently that the Packers would require a quarterback to come back to the team in any Aaron Rodgers trade, leading to even more speculation that Green Bay is not sold on Love as its franchise quarterback in the post-Rodgers era.
This could very well change the landscape of trade discussions. If the Packers are indeed requiring a quarterback as part of the bounty, some teams that had interest in Rodgers might no longer be options. Others could very well offer up a huge return that includes a potential stopgap starter until Love is ready.
How the Aaron Rodgers trade saga is impacted by this latest news
Right now, the Denver Broncos are seen as favorites to land Rodgers in a trade. It remains to be seen whether the Packers would even want Drew Lock in any blockbuster. In fact, an argument can be made that he’s not a starter-caliber quarterback after tying for the league lead in interceptions a season ago.
The Las Vegas Raiders might now be in a better position to land Rodgers. They are seen as one of his ideal landing spots. They also have three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr to offer up the Packers in any blockbuster trade. In turn, Carr could act as a stopgap until Love is ready.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers were seen as one of Aaron Rodgers’ preferred landing spots. The Northern California native thought he was headed back home immediately ahead of the start of the NFL Draft late last month.
San Francisco’s decision to select Trey Lance with the third pick in the annual event likely changes the dynamics here. Short of the 49ers offering up Lance and not much else given their lack of future draft capital, a move of this ilk doesn’t appear to be in the cards.
This is why it has become pretty complicated. Rodgers might now have to expand his wish list of potential landing spots to help facilitate a trade. Perhaps, he’d be willing to head to the Miami Dolphins.
They were in on Deshaun Watson before allegations of sexual assault were levied in the quarterback’s direction. Tua Tagovailoa might also be of interest to the Packers in a hypothetical trade.
For now, it doesn’t look like anything is going to happen any time soon on this front. That could very well change in short order if Rodgers doesn’t back off his trade request.
More must-reads: