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

[Fritz]

I think the Packers front office has to keep up Rodgers' appearance as a tradable asset. That means they can't alienate him and cause him to pout or rage-quit. They have to make Rodgers' return to the Packers look plausible so they're not weighing whose seventh-rounder to take in exchange.

As for Rodgers, he doesn't want to look like the bad guy. So I'd expect him to reply, "If it were up to me, I wouldn't want to rock the boat. I just wish I could stay here and have all my best friends and nobody ever doubting me."

I think that's all true, but I don't think it quite answers my original question: so does anybody really want a trade? If so, who is it and for what reason or reasons? Is it Rodgers? The Packers? Both? Neither?

[Joemailman]

I think that's all true, but I don't think it quite answers my original question: so does anybody really want a trade? If so, who is it and for what reason or reasons? Is it Rodgers? The Packers? Both? Neither?

I think the Packers would like a trade, but don't want it to look like they ran Rodgers out of town. They want it to look like it was his idea. Who knows what Rodgers wants? My guess is he is leaning in a certain direction, but is still open to a change of mind. And so we wait a little bit as he emerges from the darkness into a great light. I think Isaiah wrote something like that.

[NewsBruin]

I think that's all true, but I don't think it quite answers my original question: so does anybody really want a trade? If so, who is it and for what reason or reasons? Is it Rodgers? The Packers? Both? Neither?

I think this is the front office changing course after going all-in to Rodgers' requests (as opposed to going all-in to win a Super Bowl) and seeing what it got them. Shorten his contract, hire some veteran favorites, never publicly disparage him or reply to his passive-aggressive shots, throw in extra millions to massage his feelings going back to not getting a power D-1 offer out of high school. And they saw what that ceiling was.

It's an enviable ceiling, but the PR hits, the physical wear to Rodgers, and his reversion to bad habits maybe makes them rethink whether it's worth the salary-cap hit and the burning of Jordan Love's R1 pick. Maybe they think the organization's reputation won't take as much of hit if they trade Rodgers and start Love, compared to that scenario last year.