Packers reportedly prefer to move on from Aaron Rodgers

Last updated: 2023/01/29 at 5:51 PM

BigP Published January 29, 2023

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are entering the offseason at odds for the third year in a row. This time, the two sides might actually part ways.

Trading the four-time NFL MVP remains an option for financial reasons, the state of the franchise and ultimately the feelings of both the team and Rodgers, ESPN reported Sunday.

“League sources are convinced the franchise prefers to move on from Rodgers,” the report stated.

The Packers are currently projected to be more than $16 million over next season’s salary cap and have a laundry list of free agents they’ve yet to sign.

As it currently stands, Green Bay has limited options, even if Rodgers opts to play next year. The Packers can’t release the future Hall of Famer given the catastrophic dead cap hit — it would be more than $40 million higher than if he were to stay on the roster — but they could trade him and gain financial flexibility.

One team at the forefront of those trade rumors is the New York Jets, which recently hired former Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett as their new offensive coordinator. Hackett, of course, was recently the Packers’ OC for three seasons, including for Rodgers’ back-to-back MVP campaigns (’20, ’21).

Rodgers, 39, is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career. This past season, the 18-year NFL veteran threw for the fewest yards (3,695) in any season in which he played at least 15 games. He also threw 12 interceptions, which was his highest total since his first year as a starter in 2008. Rodgers was dealing with a broken thumb, as well as rib and knee injuries throughout the season.

The 10-time Pro Bowler, due $59.5 million in guaranteed money this year and another $49.25 million in 2024, recently said that he hasn’t made any concrete decisions about whether he plans to play in 2023, or beyond.

“There’s been a lot of fun dreaming about retiring as a Packer, because there’s something really special about that,” Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show” recently. “But if the competitive hole still needs to be satiated, and it’s time to move on, I hope everybody would look at that with a lot of gratitude.”

“I’m open to all honest and direct conversation and if [the Packers] felt like it was in the best interest of the team to move forward, so be it.”

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