The 2022 season has been a disastrous one for the Green Bay Packers. Their inability to mend their relationship with wide receiver Davante Adams has proven costly as the offensive production has cratered without him in the fold. Another team that has struggled is the New Orleans Saints.
Despite having future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers back in the fold, this offense has not been able to find any consistency. With questions looming about his future and the team no longer looking like a viable Super Bowl contender, could the Packers look into trading Rodgers this offseason?
Should Rodgers hit the trade block, there would be plenty of teams in the running for him. His name was a popular one during the 2022 offseason and it would remain the same in 2023 even with how poorly things have gone in Green Bay.
One team that could be in the market for Rodgers is the New Orleans Saints. Despite being 3-5, New Orleans has a shot at making a postseason run this season because of the ineptitude of the NFC South division. The Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at 4-5, are tied for the division lead.
A big reason for the Saints’ struggles this season has been their defense, which ranks 26th in points allowed but 11th in yardage surrendered. Finding more consistency at the quarterback position would be nice as well, as the Saints gain yards and score with the best of them but ball security has been lacking.
Given the weapons in place, New Orleans has all of the pieces for a quarterback to succeed. It would be a welcome change for Rodgers, who watched his two best wide receivers leave this past offseason and very little be done to replace their production.
He likely has some good seasons ahead of him still and the situation with the Saints could be an advantageous one. What could it cost to land Rodgers? It certainly wouldn’t be cheap and New Orleans would have to get creative given the draft compensation that they still owe the Philadelphia Eagles from their trade during the 2022 NFL Draft.
There is still some work to do with the roster, so the Saints could try and offer Green Bay picks more down the line. A first-rounder in 2025 and 2026 with third and fourth-round picks in 2023 and 2024 could be an interesting offer from both teams’ perspectives.
Green Bay would have to wait for a little to reap the benefits of this trade, but by that time, they should know what they have in Jordan Love. If he proves a capable starter, they are stocked with draft capital to fill the roster around him. If he struggles, they have the pieces to make a move for a quarterback.
New Orleans keeps the top picks they have available in 2023 and 2024, giving them some chances to upgrade the roster around Rodgers in the last-chance effort for him to contend for another Super Bowl ring.
However, there are some serious salary cap hoops that the Saints would have to jump through to get a deal done with the Packers to accommodate how much money Rodgers makes. But, it would be worthwhile acquiring a player of that caliber to help push the team over the top.
