Aaron Rodgers should request a trade at the end of the season
The Green Bay Packers are a bit of a mess in 2022 and Aaron Rodgers has not been playing that well. He should finally request a trade. For a while there, it seemed like Rodgers was going to force his way out of Green Bay and to the Denver Broncos.
When the Broncos hired Nathaniel Hackett, that seemed even more likely. Instead, Rodgers re-signed on a massive deal with the Packers to become the highest-paid player in NFL history. Part of that essentially forced them to trade Davante Adams, who is having a good season but is not on a winning team.
It’s clear that Rodgers has not been comfortable this year, and perhaps the departures of Nathaniel Hackett, Luke Getsy, and Davante Adams have had a huge impact on his performance. Whatever the case may be, the Packers are not a serious team.
Their defense is overrated and they’re a finesse bunch. They need some serious changes in order to be competitive again, I think. Instead of risking being on a losing team again, Rodgers should request a trade and play the last couple of seasons of his career on a new team.
The trade itself, if the Packers were to even agree on it, would hurt them financially, as a post-June 1st trade would put them over $30 million in dead cap and they’d save just $1.2 million. Trading the MVP would signal a rebuild for the club in my opinion.
As for Aaron Rodgers’ perspective, he’s almost 40 and probably is not declining. Winning MVPs in 2020 and 2021 told us as much. There are also some teams out there that I think would be more than interested to start him for a couple of years.
The New York Jets look poised to make a huge quarterback move this offseason, and while they might prefer someone younger, Aaron Rodgers would be inserted onto a team with a good roster and a Shanahan offense.
How about the Las Vegas Raiders? Perhaps less likely, the Raiders and Derek Carr have a weird relationship, as it seems there are rumors every year about them wanting to move on from the veteran passer.
Could the New England Patriots be a potential destination for Aaron Rodgers? They have an elite defense but it’s their offense that is lacking.
Ultimately, I do not think this would happen, but Rodgers would probably have some suitors if he decided he’s had enough in Green Bay.