The news surrounding the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers have been dominating headlines since the 2021 NFL Draft. On draft day, the news broke that Rodgers was unhappy with the situation in Green Bay and was looking to get out of town.
The Packers organization has been steadfast in saying Rodgers will not be traded, so this staredown could go on for a while. Would Rodgers sit out to get his wishes of playing elsewhere? Will Green Bay blink and trade their franchise quarterback?
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We will have to wait and see how things play out. Every team outside of a select few should be at least making a call to the Packers about Rodgers.
With all of that being said, here are five future potential trade destinations for Rodgers should the Packers make him available.
Tennessee Titans
If the Packers do not believe Jordan Love is ready or able to lead their franchise, they will most likely look to acquire a capable veteran in exchange for Rodgers. The Titans would be able to provide that in Ryan Tannehill, who has blossomed since escaping an Adam Gase-coached team.
The Titans have an offense built behind a dominant run game and Derrick Henry, which would make the play-action game that Rodgers is so deadly in that much more dangerous. Tennessee is in a position to compete right now and Rodgers could be the piece that puts them over the top.
The Titans have one explosive receiver in place in A.J. Brown but failed to replace Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith, who both left in free agency. But, if there’s anything we’ve learned from these last few years, it is that Rodgers can get the most out of anyone he’s throwing the ball to.
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New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints saw an era come to an end with Drew Brees sailing off into retirement. While his arm strength has been sapped in recent years, the Saints knew they could count on Brees for steady play. Now, they will be relying on the combination of Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill for at least one season.
The Saints were one of the teams rumored as a potential landing spot for Russell Wilson when he and the Seattle Seahawks were having it out. There is no reason they should not be in on Rodgers as well should he be made available.
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Rodgers would pry open the Saints window to contend that could have been closing with Brees leaving town. It would be a lot of fun to see him work with Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara in a similar way he works with Davante Adams and Aaron Jones currently in Green Bay.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers made a huge move before the 2021 NFL Draft to move up to the No. 3 spot. With that pick, they selected Trey Lance from North Dakota State. You would think that would take them out of the running for Rodgers, but that shouldn’t be the case.
If the 49ers wanted to win, right now, they would still aggressively pursue Rodgers. Had they had him under center instead of Jimmy Garappolo in recent years, Patrick Mahomes could very well still be waiting to win his first Super Bowl.
What the 49ers have to figure out in regards to making a run at Rodgers is whether they want to maximize their chances to win a Super Bowl in the immediate future, or stick to the plan of building around an electric Lance and their future. While Lance undoubtedly has talent, there is a chance he never comes close to the level of Rodgers.
Or, could the 49ers acquire Rodgers with the intent to start him for two years and move onto Lance after? If they are communicated to him, as the Packers failed to do with Love, it could work for both sides.
New York Giants
There may not be a team in the NFL whose outlook would change as drastically as the New York Giants should Aaron Rodgers be brought on as quarterback. New York spent this offseason bolstering their skill positions around Daniel Jones, who has proven erratic in two seasons under center thus far.
One of the qualms Rodgers has had about the Packers is their inability to continue adding talent around him to pass the ball to. With the Giants, that would not be the case. Saquon Barkley at running back; Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, John Ross and rookie Kadarius Toney at wide receiver; Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph at tight end.
The Giants have one of the strongest group of skill position players in the league. While the offensive line is still a little shaky, a player of Rodgers’ caliber would be better suited to overcome such an issue than Jones has proven able.
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New York also has multiple picks in the first, third and fourth rounds in 2022 as they shrewdly moved down the board twice in 2021. Draft capital should not be in an issue in trade talks for the Giants.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos have seemingly been looking for a quarterback since John Elway retired. This offseason they were connected to Deshaun Watson and mentioned as a team looking to trade up in the draft.
The opportunity was there to select a quarterback, as Justin Fields and Mac Jones were both on the board when Denver came on the clock. The Broncos elected to pass; did they know something we all didn’t about Rodgers?
The Broncos traded for Teddy Bridgewater to create competition with Drew Lock, but that should not deter them from looking into acquiring Rodgers. Denver has an impressive group of skill position players with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Tim Patrick and Noah Fant that just needs some consistent quarterback play to help them flourish.
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In a division with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Derek Carr, the Broncos need to figure things out at quarterback. Rodgers would do that for them, setting up some incredible quarterback matchups for the next few seasons in the AFC West.
