Will Eagles make a run at disgruntled Aaron Rodgers? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
In an NFL offseason of unprecedented quarterback movement, the biggest story is possibly just beginning to unfold.
Aaron Rodgers has told folks inside the Packers organization that he wants out of Green Bay, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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Talk about a draft day news bomb.
If Rodgers does become available, there will be no shortage of teams willing and eager to trade for his services. A trade would obviously not be cheap, even if he forces his way out of town. Rodgers is one of the best players in the league and appears to still be in his prime.
So … will the Eagles be interested?
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Yeah, they probably will be. (Who wouldn’t be?) But that doesn’t mean this is likely. Not by a long shot.
This is where it’s worth pointing out that the Eagles have reportedly been monitoring situations with a couple veteran quarterbacks — Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson — this offseason. The Eagles will likely have Jalen Hurts as their starter in 2021 but haven’t committed to that and don’t necessarily have a long-term answer at the most important position in the sport, a position they value even more than the average team.
And this is where we point out that the Eagles have a ton of draft capital over the next two years, including four picks in the first 84 in 2021 and potentially three first-round picks in 2022. They also have a general manager in Howie Roseman who is always aggressive.
But this is also where we point out this is probably not very likely for the Eagles.
For starters, the Packers won’t be in any hurry to trade Rodgers. He’s one of the best QBs in the NFL.
And while getting a franchise quarterback is obviously important, the Eagles are in a rebuilding phase and Rodgers is already 37. They’d have to give up a ton and pay him a ton to make this work.
Aside from that, Rodgers has a certain amount of power in this too. No team would trade for a franchise quarterback who didn’t want to be there. If Rodgers looks at the Eagles, he’s going to see a team that just went 4-11-1, fired their head coach, traded their previous franchise quarterback and that would lose most of its most valuable draft picks to acquire him.
And if part of Rodgers’ unhappiness stems from the fact that the Packers drafted Jordan Love last year, would he join a team that did something similar at the quarterback position last year? ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported that Rodgers “doesn’t like anyone in the (Packers) front office.” Sound familiar?
Remember, the day Carson Wentz was benched came in Green Bay and Rodgers and Wentz shared some words after the game on the field, presumably for Rodgers to commiserate and offer words of encouragement and advice.
So will Roseman make a call?
Yeah, he probably will. That’s how he rolls. But it’s hard to imagine this getting very far with the Eagles.
Rodgers is 37 now but hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. In fact, 2020 was his best season yet. He was named the MVP of the league after completing 70.7% of his passes for 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He had a ridiculous passer rating of 121.5 last season.
Rodgers, who was drafted in the first round by the Packers back in 2005, spent all 16 of his NFL seasons in Green Bay. He is a nine-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro and a no-doubt-about-it future Hall of Famer.
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