Unless you have been living under a rock the past few weeks you are aware of the big move Green Bay made on draft night. The Packers moved up a few spots to go get the “number one” player on their draft board, quarterback Jordan Love from Utah State and in doing so they shocked the NFL. The Packers did not need to trade up for Jordan Love. He arguably could have been there close to their second round selection around the 62nd pick! Clearly the main issue with Love’s selection is not the fact that the Packers traded up for no reason, but the fact that they already have a legendary franchise quarterback with four years left on his lucrative record breaking deal. This was yet another year where Green Bay did not draft a skill player for Rodgers. In fact, since Rodgers started as the Packers full time quarterback the franchise has never used their first round pick on an offensive weapon for him. That is a major issue people.
The tension between Rodgers and the franchise he led to a Super Bowl has been there way before the 2020 draft, but this may be the final straw that causes the tension to boil over. And if it does boil over how bad will it be? Will Rodgers demand a trade? Will the Packers be happy to move on from the diva quarterback?
Rodgers knows how Love is feeling right now. As we all know, he was in this exact position over a decade ago when he was taken late in the first round as the heir apparent to another Green Bay Packer legend; Brett Favre. Favre was not keen on helping Rodgers back then, and Rodgers is not showing signs that he is ready to break the tradition that Favre set by helping Love’s progression. Reports say Rodgers reached out to Love on draft night, but after that there hasn’t been much contact or other developments. How tenable is this situation folks?
Here at Grand Central Fantasy, we love to take our best cracks at predicting the future. And this is no different! Below I am going to outline why and how Aaron Rodgers is destined to be on his way to the Mile High Stadium.
Rodgers Contract
Aaron Rodgers is aa living legend, and he gets paid like one. Inking a 4 year $134 Million extension signed back in 2018, Rodgers solidified his place in NFL history as the highest paid quarterback ever. The drama around the negotiation was palpable. Reports were that Rodgers wanted an opt out at some point in the deal, which he seems to have gotten after the 2022 season. And if you think about it Rodgers might be a steal for that money once other quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, and Dak Prescott sign their deals that are reported to be for ungodly amounts of money (Mahomes especially)
Now this year it seems like a bona fide lock for Rodgers will be the starter in Green Bay. But all it can take is one bad year for things to be shaken up. The NFC North is arguably the most “up for grabs” division in football this year, and after the Packers soul destroying loss to the 49ers in the NFC championship game they are proven to not be a lock to win this division. Couple that with a weak receiving core outside of the often injured Davante Adams and a moody Rodgers openly losing his patience with the franchise; all it could take for both sides to separate is a weak 2020 campaign that ultimately falls short of the playoffs.
Elway’s Aging Quarterback Obsession
John Elway gambled big twice in recent years on his quarterbacks. He brought in Peyton Manning after it was reported “one wrong hit could paralyze” the legendary quarterback. After Manning’s reign he brought in Joe Flacco to try to harness his “eLiTe” status from the Ravens Super Bowl victory. One gamble paid off big, and the other blew up in his face. It is clear Elway appreciates a grizzled veteran to lead his teams to the promised land. And Rodgers would be of the same elite caliber that Manning was.
Denver is trying to sell Drew Lock as their future franchise quarterback to anyone who will listen. I for one did not see enough from the young signal caller to crown his job untouchable in the coming years. The Broncos added arguably the best receiver in the draft in Jerry Jeudy and signed former all-pro back Melvin Gordon in the offseason effectively giving Lock no excuse not to succeed. However, if he does not succeed in 2020 don’t be surprised if Elway makes the move to bring Mr. Discount Double Check to Denver.
Cap Logistics
It seems like a pipe dream on paper, but in reality it is doable for both sides. Rodgers has a massive contract, but in 2021 Denver $61 million in cap space. With some maneuvering, Denver could cover Rodgers cap number. In 2022 however Denver has over $169 million in cap space which could easily cover Rodgers cap hit. It is confusing and these cap numbers most likely will change, but the point is that if Denver really wanted to offer Rodgers a pass out of Green Bay, they could give it to him. With a lot of young controllable talent on both defense and offense, few other teams are positioned as well as the Broncos are. Also, you can not rule out Rodgers restructuring his deal to work with his new team’s cap.
Bottom Line
It sounds far fetched, but these things always do a few years before they happen. If I told you Tom Brady would be a Buccaneer back in 2018 you would have laughed me off of twitter. The moral of the story is Rodgers and the Packers are headed to an inevitable divorce and teams are already plotting their play for the future hall of famer. To look forward sometimes we need to look back. And a third time around on the aging quarterback carrousel could be just what Denver needs to get back to the promised land.