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Broncos could give Aaron Rodgers a sendoff like Manning and Elway

By Travis Wakeman

DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 01: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks to pass against the Von Miller #58 of the Denver Broncos in the first half of the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 1, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 01: Quarterback Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks to pass against the Von Miller #58 of the Denver Broncos in the first half of the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on November 1, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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If the Denver Broncos are going to look for a new quarterback this offseason, there will be some exciting options.

Deshaun Watson seems insistent in moving on from Houston and rumors are already connecting Matthew Stafford of the Detroit Lions to the Broncos. This tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter illustrates just how crazy the quarterback carousel could get this offseason.

Many Broncos fans are already fed up with Drew Lock after a little over one season and are hoping that new general manager George Paton will pull the trigger on a big move. Here, I talked in detail about why a big trade for Watson is too rich for Denver’s blood.

Stafford is a guy who has always put up big numbers for a bad team in Detroit and now that it appears that marriage is over, he may be considered an even more likely candidate to come to the Mile High City.

But what if an even more intriguing option is out there? What if the Broncos could land one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the league?

Before that idea is immediately dismissed, remember that it has happened before.

When Peyton Manning was cut by the Indianapolis Colts following the 2011 season, the Broncos were not considered a team likely to land him. But John Elway was able to talk him into coming over.

Aaron Rodgers is not set to hit  free agency, but following the Green Bay Packers’ loss in the NFC title game Sunday, Rodgers did state that his future with the team is uncertain.

The Packers did use a first-round pick on a quarterback in the most recent draft and Rodgers is 37 years old. The Packers moved on from Brett Favre, one of the best quarterbacks in league history, at a time when he still had some good football left in him.

Can any correlation be drawn from these incidents? Possibly, but the circumstances are not the same. It’s not likely the Packers are interested in moving Rodgers, but a team might be able to change that opinion. Though Rodgers is great, he has only been to one Super Bowl with the Packers.

The situation was similar with Manning.

Though he was considered by anyone to be one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, he did only lead the Colts to one Super Bowl victory. They then moved on from him after landing the No. 1 overall pick in the draft following a season he missed all of due to having surgery on his neck.

Manning was endeared by all of Indy, just as Rodgers is in Titletown. Manning needed a change of scenery and Rodgers might too.

If the Packers are going to listen to offers for Rodgers, Paton needs to  get on the phone and at least hear the asking price. Bringing Rodgers to Denver at 37 years old would give the team a short window to win that Super Bowl, but it could be done the same way the team did with Manning.

Though Elway gets the credit, free agents such as DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward signed in Denver because the team  had gotten Manning. Rodgers could have that same influence on helping the team land free agents.

Stafford and Watson are both much younger options that Rodgers, but of all teams, the Broncos have proven that a quarterback at the tail end of his career can  win a Super Bowl, as  both Manning and Elway were able to do after the age of 37 years old.

Can you imagine Rodgers following in the footsteps of those two legends and having his final game come after a Super Bowl victory?

If Rodgers is  made available in a trade and Paton wants to make a mega deal, he should consider that over any deal for Watson, Stafford or any other quarterback that could potentially be on the market in the next handful of weeks and months and it’s not even close.
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