Aaron Rodgers not offended by potentially being traded; Packers have their reasons
The Green Bay Packers reportedly prefer to move on from Aaron Rodgers, who says a trade “wouldn’t offend him.” Let’s take a look at the reasons behind his possible trade
Since the Green Bay Packers 2022-23 season came to an end, conversations have been swirling around Aaron Rodgers’ future with the franchise and in the NFL.
On Sunday, an ESPN report put all speculation to rest, saying that the Packers “prefer to move on from Rodgers” and are looking for a “possible trade” with the 39-year-old, just as they once did with Brett Favre. Favre was 38 years old when they traded him to the New York Jets and was 39 while playing his first season away from Green Bay.
According to the same report, “financial reasons” and the “state” of the franchise are Green Bay’s logic for potentially trading Rodgers.
League sources are convinced that the Packers would prefer to trade Aaron Rodgers this offseason, per @AdamSchefter
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 29, 2023
Reasons for that being financial, the state of the team right now and feelings of both the team and the QB pic.twitter.com/ZJVmi3Gjwu
The same sources also believe that the three-time MVP is aware of how the Packers feel about the situation.
How Rodgers feels about being traded
Rodgers, who has spent his entire 18-year career with the Packers, said during an interview last week with “The Pat McAfee Show” that he is “open to all honest and direct conversations” with Green Bay and that trade “wouldn’t offend me, and it wouldn’t make me feel like a victim.”
Before the Packers’ season-ending loss to the Detroit Lions, Rodgers was said to be emotional on the field during warmups. After the game, Lions rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams asked Rodgers for his No. 12 jersey, to which he responded “I’m gonna hold on to this one,” before exiting the field with his arm wrapped around Cobb’s shoulder and taking a strong look at the crowd at Lambeau Field.
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Why the Packers would trade Rodgers
While Green Bay is currently projected to be $16 million over next season’s salary cap, the structure of Rodgers’ contract buys the franchise some time. The Packers and Rodgers agreed on a complex contract extension last offseason with $58.3 million of the $59.5 million the QB is owed for the 2023 season structured as an option bonus. The Packers have from the first day of the new league year (March 15) until one day before their regular-season opener in September to exercise that option.
That gives both sides plenty of time to find a trade partner and once the option is exercised, Rodgers’ cap number for 2023 would be $31,623,570.