Denver Broncos: Good news if Aaron Rodgers turns down contract
It seems that every day we get more news on the Aaron Rodgers-possibly-to-the-Denver Broncos saga unfolding in front of our eyes. In a tweet by NFL reporter Dov Kleiman, he relays a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that the Packers made a “significant long-term contract offer” to Aaron Rodgers.
During a quick Twitter exchange with Ben Allbright on Tuesday night, I was able to gather that this offer is nothing new, essentially just old news being recycled, but he did note that that the team has not made a new formal offer for the MVP quarterback.
So, what does this mean? In Kleiman’s tweet thread, he revealed that there was a report by The Athletic saying that the Packers allegedly offered Aaron Rodgers more money than Patrick Mahomes (who, if you don’t remember, got blown out in the Super Bowl by 86-year-old Tom Brady).
We now know that the Packers reportedly offered Aaron Rodgers a metric ton of money, which would have made him the highest-paid quarterback in the league, but Kleiman also noted that reports from The Athletic and Adam Schefter indicate that Rodgers turned down the contract offer.
This is a lot, so far, but we’re not done. In a separate tweet from Kleiman, he notes that the two sides, being Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers, are “not in a good place,” and also added reporting from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo that Rodgers has talked to a few players about joining him somewhere else.
So, what does all of this reporting mean? Well, for starters, it should be pretty easy to see that this is no longer about money for Rodgers. I’m not sure we will ever know when money wasn’t a factor anymore, but that seems to be the case at this moment in time.
From everything regarding Rodgers being thrown at us this off-season, the tipping point seemed to be the Packers trading up to draft Jordan Love in 2020.
Now that we had a bunch of ‘new’ information thrown at us in the last day, where do the Packers go from here?
To many, this last-ditch effort to repair the relationship between the two parties seems to be a case of the Packers trying to save face.
In reality, there is not much more they can do besides offering him more money. Apparently, Rodgers wants General Manager Brian Gutekunst fired, but he’s an above-average GM, so I don’t envision that happening, ever.
At this point, now that we know the Packers offered Rodgers a giant extension, would they really let him retire? Would a professional front office really approach this situation as ‘if we can’t have him, nobody can?’
Anyone with a pulse and functioning prefrontal cortex can see that Rodgers still has insane value. I wrote an article on what it may cost for the Denver Broncos to acquire the quarterback, and I firmly believe the Packers can get a haul for Rodgers.
Would a professional sports franchise that is always regarded as well-run and respected really let their three-time MVP quarterback retire without getting anything in return?
I just can’t see it. It’s an awful business move and would essentially force them into starting Jordan Love in 2021, who has not thrown a pass in an NFL game.
The Packers team is currently built to win now, and trading Rodgers would allow them to stockpile some draft capital, add a quality starter or two, and assess the QB position after the season.
If Love can play, they have extra draft picks to work with, and if he can’t play, they can use their picks they got for Rodgers to go get ‘their guy.’
Here’s another kicker. The Packers don’t think Jordan Love is ready, yet.
This wasn’t an unnamed source espousing some nonsense; this was the guy who drafted Love saying that he has a long way to go.
Now, let’s ask this question again; would a professional sports franchise let their three-time MVP quarterback retire without getting anything in return?
Jordan Love isn’t ready and the Packers need some fallback options for when he gets his chance.
As it stands now, starting Jordan Love prematurely would set this franchise back a few years, and almost guarantee a full-scale rebuild as well.
Hedging Love with a solid insurance option like Teddy Bridgewater, adding a few high draft picks, and adding a quality starter or two makes the most business sense for the Packers.
To add one last kicker, we do not even know if Packers GM Brian Gutekunst can even oversee a full-scale rebuild since he hasn’t done so before.
I’m not so sure the Packers want to take that chance, as trading Aaron Rodgers makes the most sense.