Although Aaron Rodgers has made it clear that he intends to leave the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets, the team’s front offices have been unable to work out a deal, and it appears things may have reached a stalemate.
If trade talks end up falling through, it is clear the Packers still want to move on from Rodgers and he no longer wants to play for the team. As a result of this, he will be traded somewhere before the season begins. There are three other intriguing spots that he could be sent to if it is not the Jets. It is important to remember that Rodgers has a no-trade clause, so if he is traded it must be to a team that has the potential of being a Super Bowl contender if he is added to the roster.
1. Baltimore Ravens
The first team that may be in the running to trade for Rodgers is the Baltimore Ravens. They are having their own issues at quarterback with Lamar Jackson requesting a trade. This could be solved by the two teams swapping quarterbacks.
The Packers have never proven to be stingy when paying their franchise quarterbacks. Through his stretch with the team, Rodgers has always been well-paid, and it would not be a stretch to believe Green Bay would give Lamar the same treatment.
The Ravens would likely receive a fair amount of draft compensation if they took this deal. They would be able to convert these picks into weapons to surround Rodgers with. One big target would be Deandre Hopkins. Along with this, the team recently brought in Odell Beckham Jr., a veteran receiver that would thrive playing alongside Rodgers.
2. San Francisco 49ers
The second option would be the San Francisco 49ers. Rodgers grew up cheering for the team and idolized Joe Montana as a child. This deal would send him back to his hometown team with a roster that is a reliable quarterback away from a Super Bowl.
This deal would likely send either Trey Lance or Brock Purdy along with some picks to land Rodgers. Along with this, the Packers would have to pick up a good chunk of Rodgers’ contract for this deal to work, however, with both Purdy and Lance being on rookie deals, they would be able to do this.
If Rodgers made his way onto the 49ers roster, the team would be very scary on both sides of the ball. Along with their elite defense, he would have offensive weapons including Christian McCafferty, Deebo Samuels, and George Kittle.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The final team that could make a run at Rodgers would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This would be an incredible replacement for Tom Brady, and it is a team that already has a roster ready to contend.
The front office did a great job of retaining most of their veterans, however, they would have to fill a hole at the running back position. With big names like Ezekiel Elliott and Joe Mixon potentially being on the table, this may not be too tough of a thing to pull off. Along with this, he would have arguably the top receiving duo in the league in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Once again, Green Bay would have to take on a majority of Rodgers’ salary for this deal to work, and in return, they would likely receive the Buccaneers’ 15th overall pick this year along with some other draft capital. This would allow newly signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to take a year to learn behind one of the best quarterbacks of this generation, and the Packers to potentially bring in Jaxson Smith-Njigba to aid Jordan Love’s first campaign as the starter.
