Could Aaron Rodgers still be on the radar of the Denver Broncos following the 2021 season?
Should he be on the radar? Perhaps that’s the better question.
Throughout the past offseason, rumors ran rampant that the Broncos wanted to make a play for the All-Pro quarterback. Of course, Aaron Rodgers himself got that fire burning when reports came out on the night of the NFL Draft that he no longer wanted to play for the Green Bay Packers.
The Broncos were immediately mentioned as a potential trade destination, one that Rodgers seemed to be on board with.
Broncos fans waited patiently (or maybe not so patiently) all summer for the team to make the move. With each passing day, it seemed like the marriage between Rodgers, the reigning league MVP, and the Packers was over.
Rodgers skipped mandatory mini-camp and even his teammates seemed resigned to the fact that he would be playing somewhere else. But then he reported for training camp, had a really weird press conference where he didn’t seem to have much confidence in the organization but was ready to get started.
Rodgers had the Packers playing great ball this year. The Packers were 7-1 and had become the first team to defeat the Arizona Cardinals. Green Bay was arguably the best team in the NFC.
And then suddenly, things became controversial for Rodgers once again when it was revealed that he was not vaccinated and has tested positive for COVID-19, leaving him ineligible to play in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This news drew the ire of many players and executives around the league, along with plenty of fans, including those of the Packers. Of course, the vaccination issue is among the most heated debates the country has ever been a part of, and now Rodgers is sitting directly in the center of that issue.
Many Broncos fans were pounding the table for the team to trade for Rodgers before the season started. He has been given the tag of a selfish player and a different kind of guy, but there’s no doubt about his playing ability. Because he is so good and could instantly make the Broncos Super Bowl contenders, many fans are willing to overlook his personality.
But is that still the case?
Did Rodgers blatantly lie about his vaccination status, or does the word “immunized” that he used to answer whether or not he was vaccinated make it more of a half truth, at least in his eyes? Would Broncos fans consider this a deal-breaker and not be wanting the team to pursue Rodgers this offseason?
Rodgers will turn 38 years old next month and even though the Packers are playing good football, it just does not seem like he will play in Green Bay past this season.
What does the future for Rodgers hold? Does he even want to play football beyond this year? If he does, and he goes elsewhere, should the Broncos still be interested in making the move to get him?
It would still make sense for Denver. The team doesn’t appear to have the quarterback of the future on its roster and though Rodgers would have a limited time to play in Denver, there is no doubt that his talent could put the team back into the upper echelon of teams in the league.
Fans wanted it for the most a few months ago. How do they feel about it now?