Bucs May Enter Packers QB Rodgers Sweepstakes

It is extremely unlikely they trade up for one of the draft’s top arms; guys like Bryce Young of Alabama, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State, or Will Levis of Kentucky. The options beyond them carry more risk and less ability to start immediately. This means that deciding on one of these veterans may be the best hope to stay relevant and in contention.

Garoppolo and Carr are the most established names known to be on the market, as the 49ers will likely move on from “Jimmy G” and stick with their two younger signal-callers. Carr’s exit with Las Vegas is all but certain after he mutually stepped away from the team in the final weeks of the regular season.

Some of these names also have ties to some potential offensive coordinator candidates, which may add another wrinkle in the Bucs’ search.

If the Bucs wanted to make a bigger splash than the aforementioned quarterbacks, could they replace a 3x NFL MVP in Brady with a 4x NFL MVP in Green Bay Packers legend Aaron Rodgers?

Bucs Could Look At Packers QB Rodgers In Possible Trade

Rodgers is the closest comparable to Brady in terms of ability, play style, and status as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. The Bucs got a close look at him in their home opener in September, a game in which the Packers sneaked by with a close, 14-12 win. Before the season in August, Rodgers praised head coach Todd Bowles for being one of the best coaches in the league, specifically mentioning how he fine-tunes his game plan.

“I think [Todd Bowles is] a really good coach,” Rodgers said then. “You can always tell, schematically, what coaches are the best based on how the league adjusts.”

If Rodgers is pushed out of Green Bay much like Brett Favre was in 2008 as another quarterback in his late-30s, he has a lot of options. The New York Jets are his most likely landing spot, especially after hiring Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator. If Rodgers wants to avoid following Favre’s legacy of going to New York, another bay would happily take him on.

The Bucs have nearly all their draft picks in 2023 and 2024 to offer in a trade package. It would likely include their first this year (pick No.19) and a first or second-round pick in 2024.

It is a substantial amount of picks to give up, but it is what elite quarterbacks are worth, as seen from the Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson trades last offseason. If the Bucs want to have another boat parade on the river anytime soon, he is their best bet to get them there.

It is important to put Rodgers’ play into context. The 2022 season was a down year for Rodgers as he led the Packers to just an 8-9 record, missing the playoffs. He failed to hit 300 passing yards in any game, amassing only 3,695 yards in 17 games. His 12 interceptions are his most in a season since 2008 when he took the reins from Favre as the full-time starter.

Much of this could be placed on Rodgers playing with an inexperienced receiver room after the Packers traded away Pro Bowler Davante Adams. Besides Cobb, he had to rely on unproven guys like rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, who did not fill the void. In Tampa Bay, he could get back to his MVP-caliber level of play, throwing to proven receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Let’s not forget his performance on the field as recently as 2020 and 2021. He won back-to-back MVPs in his age 37-38 seasons, throwing for 8,414 yards, 85 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions across both hardware-capturing campaigns.

If there has been a model of efficiency for quarterbacks, Rodgers is the gold standard. He has 475 touchdowns compared to 105 interceptions in his career, and before this year, he led the league with the lowest interception percentage of any signal-caller four straight times.

He is still a top-five quarterback that could bring “Titletown” to a warmer climate.

Packers QB Rodgers Would Extend Bucs’ Title Window

A move for Rodgers depends on how much belief the Bucs have in keeping their title window open with their current roster. The Bucs still have plenty of young talent on both sides of the ball, and trading for Rodgers may open an avenue for the Bucs to target guys Rodgers has built prior relationships with.

On one of his last appearances on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers mentioned that there are five guys he wants back on the next iteration of whatever team he suits up for if he chooses to continue playing.

Talking more about them, he mentioned that “a guy like Marcedes Lewis, he’s an important cog in the wheel of the locker room and the momentum of the team,” Rodgers said. “That’s a guy I want to finish my career with. If I’m playing, I want that guy next to me.

“I want the Randall Cobbs of the world – if he wants to keep playing – in my locker room. Guys you can win it with. Allen Lazard, Bobby Tonyan, David Bakhtiari. There’s a lot of interesting names that we’ll see if there’s a desire to re-sign certain guys that are glue guys in the locker room.”

If he were to come to Tampa Bay, perhaps the team would look to appease him, similar to what the Bucs did with Brady when he signed as a free agent.

The Bucs’ salary cap table is not as open as it was in 2020, but adding a couple of veteran offensive players is possible. It may not be of the caliber of Antonio Brown or Rob Gronkowski, but Rodgers has established rapport with players like Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis, among others.

Is A Trade For Packers QB Rodgers Possible?

His contract is the biggest obstacle to fitting Rodgers into the Bucs’ puzzle. As alluded to by our Pewter Report cap analyst Josh Queipo, it will be challenging to afford A-Rod. His $59,510,000 million 2023 salary needs to be guaranteed before the season.

The Bucs would have to exercise his option bonus, dropping his cap charge to just $15,790,000 this year to be able to afford him.

For it to be remotely possible, veterans such as Donovan Smith, Leonard Fournette, Cam Brate, and Ryan Succop will need to be released. Nearly every player who recently got an extension would need to be restructured.

Would the franchise be willing to do all of this to bring in a guy many see as a polarizing figure that may only play for another season or two?

As seen by the previous two Super Bowl winners in 2020 (Bucs) and 2021 (Rams), reaching the pinnacle often requires going all-in to capitalize on a short window. The Bucs did it before and may do it once more to own the NFC South in a similar way Rodgers has owned the NFC North throughout his career.