In 2012, it was Peyton Manning watch for Denver Broncos fans. In 2016, it was Colin Kaepernick. In 2017, it was Tony Romo. Although this should be nothing “new” for Denver Broncos fans, rumors of Aaron Rodgers potentially being traded to the Mile High City are still extremely difficult to believe.
And yet, here we are.
Not only are the Denver Broncos on Rodgers’ list of preferred teams to be traded to, but they are the preferred team he wants to go to.
Benjamin Allbright of Broncos Country Tonight on 850 KOA in Denver reported that he thinks there’s a “better than 50-50 chance” that a Rodgers-to-Denver trade happens, and also that the Denver Broncos are Rodgers’ number one potential landing spot (around 13:00 mark).
Somewhat similar to being told you’ve just won a million bucks, you can understand why all of this is difficult to take in.
Aaron Rodgers’ demand to get out of Green Bay and apparent interest in the Denver Broncos does smell a bit like he could be using Denver for leverage. To be clear, George Paton has not made any formal offers to the Packers, according to Allbright.
Other league reports indicate the Denver Broncos began compiling a potential package before the Packers essentially said they were not answering any calls on draft night.
These Rodgers-to-Denver rumors have, at this point, persisted for an entire week. That’s a long time for any NFL rumor to stick out there, but it’s not just that the rumors have persisted — they have seemingly intensified.
The odds of Rodgers landing with the Denver Broncos have increased almost daily. The fit makes a ton of sense given the Denver Broncos’ plethora of talent at the skill positions. Depending on what went back to the Packers in a trade, Rodgers would be handing the ball off to Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon, throwing to Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, KJ Hamler, Tim Patrick, and Albert Okwuegbunam.
With Denver’s defensive depth being fortified this offseason, how could Rodgers not want to come to Denver if that option exists?
His feud with the Packers is not about money, it’s with the front office and general manager Brian Gutekunst specifically. For those who saw The Last Dance reportedly been calling Gutekunstdocumentary about the Chicago Bulls, Rodgers has “Jerry Krause” in group text message threads.
For over a year, Rodgers has been telling prospective Packers free agents that he would not be in town for much longer.
As crazy as it seems and as hard as it is to believe, there exists a legitimate possibility of Aaron Rodgers becoming the next quarterback of the Denver Broncos. To circle back to Allbright’s report, there’s a “better than 50-50” chance of it.
If Rodgers is intent on leaving Green Bay (which it seems he is), then as long as it’s not retirement, it seems like this could manifest:
Aaron Rodgers lookin' 🔥 in a Broncos uni!
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 5, 2021
Where would they stack in the AFC West with him?
(📸 via jerseyxswapnfl/IG) pic.twitter.com/yIShi5yycy
There have been reports that a Rodgers trade would not take place until June at the earliest because otherwise the Packers would have to eat his remaining signing bonus all on the 2021 salary cap instead of spreading out the dead hit over the next few years.
That certainly makes sense from the Packers’ perspective for bookkeeping purposes, but with the NFL schedule coming out next week already for the 2021 season, you can’t help but wonder if the league will want to know where its, you know, MVP is playing this year.
If teams can designate roster cuts as post-June 1, why not designate a trade the same way?
It’s not a long time to wait in the grand scheme of things, but it would be great to get a resolution on this as soon as possible. As it was acknowledged on the ESPN broadcast during the 2021 NFL Draft, the Packers realize they may have to trade Rodgers with his feet dug in on this.
It’s no coincidence that on essentially the one-year anniversary of the Packers drafting Jordan Love, Rodgers’ camp let all this out to the public.
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George Paton has been hoarding cap space all offseason despite not necessarily needing to do so. Now, we may have an idea why he was doing it and potentially why he passed on Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft.