Why I Believe Aaron Rodgers Is Done In Green Bay

Below is a story I posted right after the Pack got dusted in the NFC Championship game.  I was laughed at and I was even accused of not being a Packer fan for suggesting such a thing.  Well the Packers just traded up…giving up assets and passing on Round 1 Graded Wide Receivers, Offensive Linemen and Inside Linebacker to draft a QB. That is not a guarantee that Rogers in done in Green Bay but Tampa and New Orleans both took Oline in Round 1 to protect their 40 something Hall of Famers and we drafted our…..replacement….for three years from now….even though we were one game away from the Super Bowl….???? Hard to really figure the logic there.  So maybe swing the below trade talk from Vegas through Cincy to get Burrow and just consider Vegas direct with us getting Love.  They still toss in Carr, who everyone alive know Gruden was never a fan of, and Ruggs from this draft and then multiple high drafts next year.  Sure it is insane to consider..the only reason I consider it is, as I’ve said countless times..that dude looks like a guy playing with one foot out the door even in the best of times.

The Pack played pretty poorly and got roasted in the NFC Championship out in CA on Sunday, so exactly where do we go from here?  Well, much of the debate seems to center around a better core of WRs, some size and speed to stop the run, and an overall upgrade of the pool of talent from top to bottom.  The conversation will jump from “the draft” to Free Agent possibilities to coaching changes to front office concerns.  Fact is, there is essentially no part of the organization that is without some issues.  So what about the perceived “least of our worries”? Let me ask you this, even though he has proven that he is capable of winning a Super Bowl, do you honestly believe that Aaron Rodgers will win another Super Bowl in Green Bay?

Let’s start with performance.  The emergence of the running game means Aaron Rodgers would need to do less in the miracle department…and is that something that he is truly willing to do?  Under Mike McCarthy it was about weapons and it was about Rodgers…and I think he kinda liked that.  Under the new management it is about running the ball, everybody running horizontally, easy pitch and catch with a boatload of yards after catch.  Run it on first down, get 7 yards…throw a pass to your back and get 4 more and move the chains.  NOTHING that Aaron Rodgers has ever really done before.  I mean, did it look like that dude had the least bit of fun?  Did anyone ever see him actually get on anyone’s ass during a game with the least bit of passion?  Sure, we get the “we have to act like professionals when we are on the road”..makes you sound like a wily vet. But have you seen one instance of grabbing a face mask and saying “if you ever want to see another ball from me you WILL break that route off cleaner”?

There is nothing wrong with an intelligent approach to a kid’s game, but at some point you gotta be a kid in a kid’s game..even if it is the first guy picked on the playground type kid. Tom Brady and Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers are old men but they still look like they are ready to rip off the face of friend and foe in the pursuit of victory.  To me Aaron Rodgers looks like he is one step above Jay Cutler in the body language department.  And that begs the question..has Aaron Rodgers time in Green Bay come to an end.  Sure he said he wanted to be in Green Bay his entire career, he also said he looked forward to living the rest of his life with his soul mate Olivia Munn.  Moral of the story is relationships sometimes end.  I personally think this one has ended.

So in this grand speculation, where does Mr. Rodgers land?  Well, it would have to be a place that has a current QB that they don’t love.  It would have to be a place that had a supply of high draft picks to add to that QB they don’t love in a trade scenario.  If they were to run a version of the West Coast Offense, that would be cool.  And it would have to be a mature, seasoned coaching staff that understands the uniqueness of Aaron Rodgers.  They will undoubtedly need to be located out west and have ample opportunities for a guy like Rodgers that is well into his “life after football” mentality.  Well only one team checks all those boxes folks and that would be Just Win Baby!!  The Raiders…representing a couple of different cities at the moment..would be a great fit for Rodgers.

Green Bay gets Derek Carr and the Raiders No 12 overall and at least one of their 3^rd round picks in exchange for Rodgers.  Now take the Pack’s No 30 overall pick, add the Raiders’ No 12 overall, toss in that 3^rd round pick you got in the trade and add in Derek Carr and try to pry the No 1 away from Cincinnati and get Joe Burrow.  I do not believe that Cincy thinks they are a QB away from winning big.  I do believe the Raiders think they most definitely are only a QB away from winning big.  And Rodgers is enough of a bargaining chip to actually make something like that happen.  Am I predicting this to happen?  Let’s just say that would be a very ambitious statement.  But ask yourself, does it look like Aaron Rodgers wants to be here?  I am generally the last person to be overly critical of anyone let alone a first ballot Hall of Famer…I just don’t think that dude wants to be in Green Bay any more.  And if that is the case, his value will only diminish with time.