Who Will Aaron Rodgers Play For In 2023 (Or Will He Play)?

[texaspackerbacker]

I didn't say he was Lamar Jackson or even Fields hahahaha, but he runs better than Brady did 15 or 20 years ago and better than all but a handful of current NFL QBs. And more pertinently, he runs probably 90 or 95% as good as he ever ran. Besides that, QB yards gain isn't nearly as important as escapability, which Rodgers still has at a fairly high level. And all of that is not nearly as important as throwing accuracy, which admittedly he was less good with the injury last season, but which Rodgers otherwise is extreme top tier. And all of that including accuracy is less important IMO than the mindset not to throw interceptions - where Rodgers is second to nobody in NFL history.

IF Rodgers was one more and done, and IF you could get a veritable shitload for him, and IF you don't mind lapsing into mediocrity after this season, yeah, then maybe trading him might be best. However, I very much doubt any of those 3 IFs is true.

[run pMc]

Brady was NEVER a mobile QB. Brady has always been a pocket passer with a quick release and even quicker processer of the field.

Rodgers mobility isn't near what it used to be. That's Father Time.
He still has good enough pocket awareness to slide around and avoid the rush. That's as much a mental or near-instinctive thing.
The big thing with his legs was with his throwing base and fundamentals. He didn't have that last year. He can get most of that back with appropriate offseason focus on it, he's done that before but he's let it slip lately. With him aging he needs it more than ever.
Let's be real - he's a 40 year old QB who probably runs a 4.9 or 5.0 40. He's not a great athlete by NFL standards anymore. That's why you don't see him running the ball a lot, and as he's not a great threat to run the RPOs they run on offense are less effective.

[texaspackerbacker]

Duh. That's a large part of the point. Rodgers is and always has been a pocket passer too, and he's not/never was a Lamar Jackson level athlete/runner. He has a quick release like Brady, and probably is an even better "processor on the field" than Brady.

His mobility isn't what it used to be, of course, but "isn't near" is an exaggeration. He has aged well in that area IMO. Of course, you nailed it with this line: "He still has good enough pocket awareness to slide around and avoid the rush. That's as much a mental or near-instinctive thing." Rodgers has always been an "off-platform" thrower too, maybe not quite as much as Favre was, but close. He was less successful that way last season why? because of the injury, of course. You don't see him running a lot, true. That's how QBs get hurt, old guys, young guys, all guys - major injury like Dak or just a debilitating calf strain or hamstring like Rodgers himself got a few years ago. But when necessary (or when he just wanted to prove he still could), Rodgers took off and got the yards even last season.

[bobblehead]

Ah yes, because those 34 rushes for 94 yards (2.8 ypr) over 17 games really showed off his wheels. Move over Justin Fields!

His legs were not great; he even admitted that himself in pressers.

As for Rich Eisen, he's a Jets fan, so he's inclined to latch onto a Rodgers rumor. Thing is, there have been a LOT of them.

I don't think Gute or any Packers official is going to say anything other than they want him back at this point. Anything else would be a disaster in terms of relationship with Rodgers or trade value. Also, nothing they say in these pressers is going to be truthful or insightful, unless you are a mind reader or somehow pickup on something buried deep within the lines. Personally, I think Gute wants to trade Rodgers, but Murphy wants to keep him. MLF is a tougher read; I think he likes winning and Rodgers is a talented QB but he'd probably like to run his offense and Love might be the best chance for him to do that. If he's a Shanahan type, and Shanahan can spin gold from Brock Purdy, MLF should be able to do ok with Jordan Love.

There won't be any news until after the combine, and any trade likely happens just before the draft.

I will say again, Rodgers might be the better QB in 2023, but trading him is the best thing for the team if you look over the next 3 seasons because of his age and cap hit.
How likely is Rodgers to redo his contract in a way that doesn't hurt the team? How could that can be done?

Rich Eisen runs the 40 every year at the combine (or used to). I'd like to see HIM race Rodgers.

Murphy shouldn't be involved in who stays and who goes as far as players. Its simply not his job. That should be Gutes final say with some MiLF input. As for MiLF, he made Mariotta look serviceable so I have faith in him.

If Rodgers wants to stay I would BET he reworks his deal to clear cap space so they can sign someone in FA. He does want to win. But I won't go so far as saying less money, just moving it around. He could even potentially do a rework to facilitate a trade.

[run pMc]

Yeah, I could see them ask Rodgers to redo the contract somehow. Not sure what that looks like, IIRC he's set to make the vet minimum salary... all his money is in bonuses of some sort.

Tex, Brady is a pocket passer. Rodgers is a mobile QB. Lamar Jackson is a dual threat QB. Matt Stafford or Jameis Winston is a gunslinger type. The SF QB's (and Jared Goff) are game managers.

If you just mean ability to juke around in the pocket, no Rodgers hasn't lost that but even Brady can do that a little bit. That's not the legs so much as awareness, so I consider that more between the ears than athleticism.
Difference between Brady and Rodgers is Rodgers has always had enough mobility to at least execute a rollout. Brady's too slow for that. That said, Rodgers is slowing down and not breaking off long rushes like he did 10 or even 5 years ago. His legs aren't what they used to be, regardless of what you say.

[call_me_ishmael]

Rich Eisen runs the 40 every year at the combine (or used to). I'd like to see HIM race Rodgers.

Murphy shouldn't be involved in who stays and who goes as far as players. Its simply not his job. That should be Gutes final say with some MiLF input. As for MiLF, he made Mariotta look serviceable so I have faith in him.

If Rodgers wants to stay I would BET he reworks his deal to clear cap space so they can sign someone in FA. He does want to win. But I won't go so far as saying less money, just moving it around. He could even potentially do a rework to facilitate a trade.

Rodgers would smoke him by a second or two 😀

If he reworks the deal to lower cap this year, man that is just more pain later when he bounces. I’m not sure that’s a good idea given his cap isn’t crazy this year.

Unless he’s trying to get a trade partner for Love, it sure sounds like in the unlikely case both returned to the Packers this year, next year it’s Love show, so why not rip the Bandaid off this year IMO and take a shot next year in year two with relatively cheap fifth year option vs 40M a year they’re gonna have to pay him if he’s even decent in year 6. It makes no sense to keep Rodgers this year if they want Love to be their QB of the future.

[Fritz]

Rodgers would smoke him by a second or two ������

If he reworks the deal to lower cap this year, man that is just more pain later when he bounces. I’m not sure that’s a good idea given his cap isn’t crazy this year.

Unless he’s trying to get a trade partner for Love, it sure sounds like in the unlikely case both returned to the Packers this year, next year it’s Love show, so why not rip the Bandaid off this year IMO and take a shot next year in year two with relatively cheap fifth year option vs 40M a year they’re gonna have to pay him if he’s even decent in year 6. It makes no sense to keep Rodgers this year if they want Love to be their QB of the future.

This is a key point. We keep talking about Rodgers, Rodgers, Rodgers. Will he play or no? If he plays, will it be in Green Bay? Can he have a come back year if he returns?

We haven't talked quite as much about how the Packers feel about Love. Really, if they do think he's the guy - that he can be a good, maybe really good, quarterback in the NFL - then they pretty much have to trade Rodgers at this point, if Rodgers decides he wants to play. Imagine having the fifth-year option picked up on Love, AND Rodgers coming back to Green Bay. If Rodgers has insisted he wants the Packers to be competetive for a SB if he's going to come back, how are you going to field a SB-competetive team if TWO of your quarterbacks are costing that much? And even if somehow you decide to do that, then all you've done is put off the hand-wringing and uncertainty that you are already going through. Because if you do keep Rodgers AND Love, then Rodgers plays this year, then he hems and haws about retirement after the season ends, and you've got a guy in the wings you paid a boat-load of money to in order to be a back up, who is now about to become a FA. That would be horrible and stupid.

So - if Love is the guy, if you really, really think that he's going to be a good one, and if Rodgers decides he wants to play, then you almost have to trade him. Get a third from the Jets...But if you're blowing smoke about Love and you don't think he's all that, then you, of course, blow smoke about Love being ready, and try to trade him for whatever you can get.

It's really more about what the Packers think about Love than it is anything else.

[texaspackerbacker]

YES, YES, and YES.

I don't really give a damn about Love except as trade bait or a back up. Hell yeah, they could pick up his fifthyear option or even do a new longer term deal with him, cap-wise. If they deem him to be any good, that's probably smart, but it's not a big deal either way.

[Joemailman]

Reports are Derek Carr is signing with Saints. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...-qb-derek-carr

That's good news if you want Rodgers traded. It means the Jets are still in the equation.

[RashanGary]

Reports are Derek Carr is signing with Saints. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...-qb-derek-carr

That's good news if you want Rodgers traded. It means the Jets are still in the equation.

Tex gonna have egg on his face soon

[sharpe1027]

Fritz, there's also 1) the possibility they aren't convinced the team is good enough to win with Rodgers or 2) Rodgers wants out.

Either of those are true, and a trade is the best outcome. Doesn't matter what they think of Love.

[texaspackerbacker]

Tex gonna have egg on his face soon

Dream on. YOU are the one who keeps repeating the idiocy that Rodgers' contract enables a trade, when in fact it makes a trade damn near impossible. Ya'all people wanting the team to go down the drain i.e. part with Rodgers are gonna be disappointed (not to mention stupid).

I say again, YES, YES, AND YES to Fritz's questions above.

[sharpe1027]

I say that anyone that pretends to know what Rodgers or the Packers organization is thinking is completely full of shit and worse than the media pukes at spreading bullshit opinions based on no personal knowledge.

Doesn't mean they'll end up being wrong, but they don't know any more than the rest of us.

[texaspackerbacker]

That would imply the bastards are good people with no sinister agenda. On the mild side, those shitheads are stirring up trouble as click bait just for increasing their own popularity and money. On the worse side, those shitheads actually want to harm the Packers either just to smooth things out with the loser franchises or else because they favor whatever coastal or big city franchise.

And most if this whole discussion is just a matter of what is logical anyway. That doesn't seem to be the strong suit of the "ya'all" crowd in here who crave a future without Aaron Rodgers i.e. a future without winning football.

[sharpe1027]

That would imply the bastards are good people with no sinister agenda. On the mild side, those shitheads are stirring up trouble as click bait just for increasing their own popularity and money. On the worse side, those shitheads actually want to harm the Packers either just to smooth things out with the loser franchises or else because they favor whatever coastal or big city franchise.

And most if this whole discussion is just a matter of what is logical anyway. That doesn't seem to be the strong suit of the "ya'all" crowd in here who crave a future without Aaron Rodgers i.e. a future without winning football.

You claim it's just logical, but don't know any more than anyone else here what Rodgers or the Packers organization are thinking.

[Joemailman]

trey wingo
@wingoz

Per sources. Aaron Rodgers and the Jets had conversations today. While nothing is imminent Rodgers is open to the idea of going to NY
11:10 PM · Mar 6, 2023

I can't verify if this is true. But I do know Rodgers was in New York on the weekend.

[red]

I can't verify if this is true. But I do know Rodgers was in New York on the weekend.

sweet

[run pMc]

There's a story in the JSO by Silverstein on it, so it must have some legs. If not for that I'd assume it was just rumor-mongering.

https://www.jsonline.com/story/sport...y/69953012007/

[Sparkey]

https://jetsxfactor.com/2023/03/07/n...rodgers-spoke/

Those damned media bastards doing their job.

[run pMc]

https://jetsxfactor.com/2023/03/07/n...rodgers-spoke/

Those damned media bastards doing their job.

Media pukes and shitheads.

Sure seems like the reports that Rodgers spoke with NYJ has some legs to it, and he's been very quiet (when he could easily shoot rumors down), so one would think there's truth to this.
If Rodgers is talking to another team, GB has made its preference known at the 2023 QB spot.