Aaron Rodgers trade scenarios: Ranking seven 2021 landing spots for the Packers QB
Channel: Zoom
Date: 2020-04-30

Aaron Rodgers isn't going anywhere, at least for now. That's what Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur suggested immediately after his team traded up to use a first-round draft pick on none other than quarterback Jordan Love, sparking debate as to whether the reigning NFC North champions intend to part ways with their future Hall of Fame starter sooner rather than later.

Not everyone is entirely convinced Rodgers is locked in as Green Bay's QB of the long-term future. Brett Favre, the same legend who gave way to Rodgers more than a decade ago, said this week he believes No. 12 will finish his NFL career elsewhere. And while Love may very well spend multiple seasons learning behind Rodgers before even getting the chance to take the field, it's conceivable -- from purely a financial perspective -- that LaFleur and Co. could look to make the transition as soon as 2021.

As Over The Cap reports, the Packers can save $22 million in 2021 salary cap space by trading Rodgers after June 1 that year, not to mention an additional $22.6M in 2022 and $28.3M in 2023. That, to be frank, is a lot of dough, especially considering Rodgers' big deal would seemingly prohibit Green Bay from making a quick switch to Love. 

Now, is it likely the Packers will try to trade Rodgers so soon? Not necessarily. Who's to say he won't make the team right back to the NFC Championship this season? But if for whatever reason, the Packers want to do so, they won't exactly be hamstrung.

Where, then, could Rodgers end up? We put on our hypothetical cap and looked ahead to 2021, keeping in mind that teams who figure to struggle mightily in 2020 might end up using the draft, not free agency, for a new QB. That, plus needing to wait until June to trade their longtime franchise QB, could make it difficult for a Rodgers market to materialize.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are betting a lot on the former sixth-round pick, Gardner Minshew, in 2020, and considering the QB's supporting cast, it wouldn't be a stunner if Jacksonville were once again picking in the top 10 in 2021. That alone means they're probably more likely to pursue their future face of the franchise through the draft. Still, only two teams have more projected cap space for 2021, and the Jags also have six picks in the first four rounds of next year's draft (i.e. lots of trade ammunition). Nothing would reignite a Florida fan base taken hostage by Tom Brady like Rodgers calling TIAA Bank Field home.
6. Denver Broncos
John Elway just spent the offseason giving Drew Lock all kinds of new toys
5. Indianapolis Colts
After striking gold on two homegrown prospects in Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck
4. Washington Redskins
If you think Dan Snyder and Co. are actually, indefinitely sold on Dwayne Haskins, their first-round pick of 2019
3. New England Patriots
The Pats have seemingly been content to proceed with uncertainty at QB in the wake of Tom Brady's departure
2. San Francisco 49ers
Niners brass believes in Jimmy Garoppolo, who's just a few months removed from starting in the Super Bowl.
1. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders, ladies, and gents, are the clear-cut favorites. Derek Carr has managed to endure years of speculation about Jon Gruden's desire for a new QB, and yet he wasn't entrenched enough to prevent the team from adding Marcus Mariota as a potential replacement-in-waiting this offseason. Meanwhile, the Raiders can cut Carr in 2021 and save almost $20 million, making him easily expendable in the event 2020 -- the team's big debut in Vegas -- doesn't go over as planned. (Some would argue neither he nor Mariota has the downfield arm to even capitalize on the club's speedy additions at wide receiver.)

Edgar Bennett, who serves on Gruden's offensive staff, spent 2015-17 as the Packers' offensive coordinator, and in his first two years at the helm, Rodgers threw 71 touchdowns and just 15 interceptions. Nothing but an anecdote? Maybe. But Gruden's track record of QB development -- or lack thereof -- speaks even more volumes: We talk every year about him and the Raiders potentially eyeing a top rookie signal-caller, but Gruden simply doesn't draft QBs, and if he does, he doesn't draft them high. The guy likes vets. And if there's one vet he could surely convince Mike Mayock to pursue, it's prime-time darling Rodgers.

A Vegas relocation would get Rodgers to the AFC for Green Bay. It would get Gruden a QB worthy of investment. It would jump-start a new market for the NFL. And it would give Rodgers a fresh path for his legacy. He wouldn't be picking up anyone's mantle. He'd be forging his own, right in the Entertainment Capital of the World.