A decision on whether or not Aaron Rodgers will be the next quarterback of the Denver Broncos seems to be coming soon.
With the deadline for teams to decide whether or not to use their franchise tag looming, Aaron Rodgers should decide whether or not he wants to remain a member of the Green Bay Packers very soon.
Whether or not the Packers choose to use the franchise tag on his No. 1 wide receiver, Davante Adams, will likely play a big factor in that decision.
But with recent reports stating that Rodgers is unsure of what he wants to do next season, there is a renewed belief that the Denver Broncos have a good chance of bringing the back-to-back league MVP to the Mile High City.
While the thought of that likely gets most everyone inside Broncos Country giddy with excitement, he would not come cheap. The Broncos would have to pay a steep price to obtain the 38-year old quarterback and I have discussed trade possibilities before.
In exchange for Rodgers, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst would want a package of high draft picks (and likely multiple first-round picks) as well as perhaps one or two of the top players on the Denver roster.
Who would those players be? Here are some thoughts.
Bradley Chubb, Linebacker
The Packers could set their sights on the underachieving and oft-injured Bradley Chubb, mainly because pass-rushers are always at a premium. When healthy, Chubb can get after the quarterback.
The Packers could easily have to part with Za’Darius Smith in an attempt to save room against the cap in order to pay Rodgers and Adams, but they could pivot back to Chubb to replace Smith if they decide to move Rodgers.
Chubb could use a change of surroundings and though he’s the most talented pass-rusher on the Denver roster when healthy, the Broncos would likely be willing to part with him in a package to get the highly talented Rodgers.
Tim Patrick, Wide Receiver
Tim Patrick has emerged as a viable option in the Denver offense and has really blossomed in the organization. Last year, he caught 53 passes for 734 yards and five touchdowns and you could easily make the argument that he was the team’s most effective wide receiver.
But Patrick is not an elite player and if the Packers were to include him in the trade package, he would not be the only player they would be getting. He would be a piece thrown in to sweeten the deal, or even it out.
In Green Bay, Patrick would join a wide receiving corps that is not that deep beyond Adams. Marquez Valdes-Scantling will also be a free agent so there could be plenty of room on the roster for Patrick to continue his growth.
Though Patrick has stepped up when the Broncos have called his number, the team would likely be fine with sending him off as part of this deal.
Drew Lock, Quarterback
There is no guarantee that the Packers would be interested in Drew Lock, but the other quarterbacks on their roster are Jordan Love, Kurt Benkert and Danny Etling.
Lock could come in and at least compete for the backup spot behind Love, who would be the presumed starter going forward. One other option that Green Bay would have would be to take the No. 9 overall pick, which they would almost certainly get in this trade package from Denver, and take another shot at a franchise quarterback if the team is not fully invested in Love.
Lock has not shown his full potential in Denver and there are many reasons for that being the case, but if the team were to trade for Rodgers, his time in Denver would be up. They could use him as a backup, but if Green Bay wanted him in the trade, he would easily be thrown in.
This would be similar to when the Broncos signed Peyton Manning as a free agent in 2012 and then promptly traded away Tim Tebow.
Lock could get a chance to rejuvenate his career in Green Bay and position himself to choose his own destiny next season when he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
Noah Fant, Tight End
This is where the potential losses start to hurt. Noah Fant is a former first-round pick who has the talent to be a top-five tight end in the league. He hasn’t broken out in Denver yet but he certainly could in Green Bay.
The Packers are not deep at tight end and their No. 1 guy at the position, Robert Tonyan, is coming off a torn ACL that cost him much of last season.
But this loss would also hurt because having Fant with Rodgers throwing him the ball is a beautiful thought. He could easily realize his full potential and be a major force in 2022.
If the Packers were set on acquiring a tight end, the Broncos might be able to get them to consider Albert Okwuegbunam, but he has yet to really show out in Denver as well and if this trade is going to go down, the Packers are going to target premium players, not marginal ones.
To get a great player the Broncos will have to give up potentially great players. Fant has that potential but if the Broncos were to get the Packers to agree to move Rodgers, it’s quite easy to believe that Fant would wind up playing his home games at Lambeau Field in the near future.
Jerry Jeudy, Wide Receiver
Another player the Broncos selected in the first round, Jerry Jeudy would be one of the toughest players on the team for them to part with, but one I absolutely see being part of this trade package if it happens.
Jeudy has struggled in his first two seasons in Denver with injuries, drops and just sluggish performances. Many fans put that at the feet of the guys who have been throwing him the ball, but regardless of the reason, he has left much to be desired.
Again, having Jeudy with Rodgers throwing the ball to him would give him the opportunity to become that tier one wideout many feel he is destined to become. But it’s also a scenario that might never happen because the Packers would probably take a long look at Jeudy, especially if they weren’t able to retain Adams.
If the Packers lose Rodgers, they will be forced to turn to the guy they took in the first round in 2020, Love. They will want to surround him with as many weapons to help him succeed as they possibly can, so getting Jeudy from the Broncos makes a lot of sense.
It would be tough to lose a guy with so much potential, but that is the price to pay if you want a player the caliber of Rodgers, who will likely be even more expensive than he may have been before after winning the league MVP for a second straight season.