Green Bay Packers: Josh Rosen as potential successor to Aaron Rodgers?

Aaron Rodgers isn’t getting any younger. Should the Green Bay Packers make a trade to acquire Josh Rosen from the Miami Dolphins?

The Green Bay Packers have been spoiled for the past three decades as it relates to the quarterback position. Credit the franchise for transitioning from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, but make no mistake about it, Green Bay took a massive risk in drafting Rodgers while Favre was still the team’s bonafide starter — a risk that ultimately paid off.

Fast forward 15 years later, and the Packers are in a familiar situation, a situation in which Green Bay should take a similar risk by trading for Miami Dolphins’ backup quarterback Josh Rosen.

Selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Rodgers didn’t take over as a full-time starter until the 2008 season. At the time Rodgers was drafted, Favre was 36 years old and had just completed his 13th season as the Packers’ starting quarterback.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

It’s a similar story for Rodgers, who will be entering his 13th season as Green Bay’s starting quarterback this fall. The Packers’ signal-caller turned 36 years old in December and has four years remaining on his current contract.

Clearly, the team believes in their franchise quarterback after signing Rodgers to a then-record breaking four-year, $134 million contract extension ($99 million guaranteed) before the start of the 2018 season. Rodgers is under contract with the team through the 2023 season, in which he’ll be 39 years old.

This is the part where Josh Rosen comes into play. A former first-round selection himself, Rosen has plenty of talent to work with, especially if he were to be given the chance to learn from one of the league’s best in Rodgers.

Drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, Rosen started 13 games his rookie season. He guided the Cardinals to a 3-10 record under his command, throwing for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Rosen was traded to the Dolphins the following offseason after Arizona drafted Kyler Murray with the first overall selection in 2019. He started three games for the Dolphins this past season after starting the year as a backup but was benched in favor of journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick.

If there’s anything Rosen has going for him at the moment it’s that he has starting experience, having played in 20 games (16 starts) in his young NFL career already. Conversely, Rodgers didn’t earn a start until his fourth year in the league (2008) and had only played in seven games up to that point.

Most importantly, though, Rodgers has been a mentor to Rosen in the past. The two worked together during Rosen’s draft process back in 2018. Both California kids at heart, perhaps Rodgers would welcome Rosen as a backup option and potential successor in the future.

At this point in his career, Rosen’s value is likely considerably less than the first-round pick the Cardinals used to acquire him two seasons ago. Perhaps a fourth-rounder could be enough to pry him from the Dolphins, who sent a second-rounder to Arizona last offseason.

The best part about the entire situation is that the Cardinals have already paid the majority of Rosen’s guaranteed money. Rosen is scheduled to have cap hits of $2.1 million and $2.9 million, respectively, over the next two seasons. Additionally, the Dolphins can offload Rosen with minimal dead cap.

Because of that, and his past relationship with Rodgers, the Packers should take a chance. Rosen is a natural thrower who has plenty of potential. He’s been thrown to the wolves for the past two seasons, but his career could be salvaged if placed in the right situation. That situation could be in Green Bay.