Packers Expected to Consider Trading Aaron Rodgers to AFC Team, According to Report
It is possible Aaron Rodgers could be with a new NFL team for the 2023 season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Green Bay Packers are expected to consider trading their star quarterback to an AFC team during the offseason. This does not mean the Packers will definitely trade Rodgers, but they will explore all options with him as backup QB Jordan Love continues to develop.
"It's hard to imagine that he's gonna retire and walk away and surrender $110 million in guaranteed money," Adam Schefter said on SportsCenter Tuesday, per CBS Sports. "So that means he's either back with Green Bay, or the team explores the idea of trading him. Now, Jordan Love is getting closer and closer to playing. ... (So) yes, one of these scenarios that the Green Bay Packers are expected to explore this offseason is the idea ... they could have to part ways with Aaron Rodgers in the form of a trade."
"That doesn't mean it will happen," Schefter continued. "But if he wants that, and they're on the same page, then it's certainly realistic. ... And if they do go ahead and trade him, it would be to the AFC." Rodgers signed a three-year, $150 million contract last year. And while Rodgers can still play at a high level, Love, a 2020 first-round draft pick, is heading into his fourth season and was solid in the limited action he saw this past season. Additionally, the Packers are looking to add more draft assets and salary cap space after the team missed the postseason for the first time since 2018.
Rodgers hasn't made a decision on what he wants to do for the 2023 season but won't make the Packers wait for all offseason to find out what his next move will be. "It's a feeling," Rodgers said after the Packers lost to the Detroit Lions in the season final earlier this month, per the Packers' official website. "Do I feel like I have anything left to prove to myself? Do I want to go back and gear up for another grind? Or is it time? Is it time to step away? Is it time for another voice to be leading this team?
"I think I need to get away and contemplate those things. Those are real to me. I have a lot of pride in what I've accomplished in this league but I'm also a realist and I understand where we're at as a team. We're a young team, there could be some changes with some of the older guys and it could be time to step away. But I could take some time and say hell no, man, I need to get back out there and go on another run. But I'll have to see what it feels like once I'm away from it."