Report: Packers leave decision completely up to Aaron Rodgers

Dec 19, 2022; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) warms up before game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2022; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) warms up before game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

What the future holds for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers remains an unknown at this time, but a recent report from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero suggests that the decision is completely up to Rodgers.

In the report, Rapoport and Pelissero wrote that if Rodgers wants to play another season but not in Green Bay, the Packers will help facilitate that trade. On the flip side, if Rodgers wants to return to the Packers, Green Bay will welcome him back.

To some degree, this all needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Throughout this entire process, it feels like neither side — Rodgers or the Packers — wants to be seen as the one actively trying to end things. Going back to the regular season, Rodgers has said on multiple occasions that in order for him to return in 2023 to Green Bay, it’s a mutual decision, implying that the Packers may not want him back.

This report, meanwhile, puts the ball firmly in Rodgers’ hands, essentially absolving the Packers of any responsibility if he does decide to play elsewhere–which makes one wonder who the sources were and if they had any connection to Green Bay.

Although neither the Packers nor Rodgers have specifically said publicly that they want a divorce, it also seems like both parties are okay with that outcome if it comes to it.

If Rodgers does ask to be traded, Las Vegas and the New York Jets appear to be the front runners for landing him. The Jets have a very talented team that seems to be just a quarterback away from being a contender–not to mention that Nathanial Hackett was just hired as the new offensive coordinator. The Raiders, on the other hand, have Davante Adams and available cap space to add to their team.

At least one first-round pick in return for Rodgers seems to be a given, but what else would be included in the trade package remains a bit of a mystery. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported recently, the uncertainty around Rodgers’ status beyond the 2023 season — if he decides to play — could very well impact what the Packers receive. In order to get two first round picks in return, the acquiring team may need assurance from Rodgers that he will play at least two more seasons. Or perhaps in addition to a first-round pick, Green Bay would also receive a conditional selection in 2024 tied to whether or not Rodgers plays.

Not to be lost in all of this is what happens to Jordan Love. Obviously if Rodgers is traded, Love will be the starter. But if Rodgers does return, would the Packers trade Love or try to keep him around as a backup for one more season? Love could demand a trade, but he has little leverage in that scenario.

Green Bay seems much more willing this offseason to let Rodgers go than what they did a year ago, which should showcase the added confidence they have in Love to be the starting quarterback, who looked like a much-improved quarterback during his appearance against Philadelphia last season. Multiple teammates, including Aaron Jones and De’Vondre Campbell, have also had some high praise for Love over the last few months.

Following the draft, the Packers will have to decide whether or not to pick up Love’s fifth-year option for the 2024 season, which will come with a guaranteed salary of over $20 million. Given that Love is still on his rookie deal this season, he comes with a relatively low cap hit.

Rodgers will take some additional time to make a decision, and as Packers President Mark Murphy said at the NFL awards show, there is no deadline for Rodgers to make a decision. Presumably, we will know the answer within a few weeks, prior to March 15th, when free agency begins.