There are only three games left in the 2021-2022 NFL season and that means the offseason is rapidly approaching. The biggest storyline of the offseason will be what happens with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.
Rodgers is going into the final year of his contract with the Packers and he requested a trade last offseason. The belief around the NFL is that this is the offseason the Packers could look to trade the MVP quarterback.
But there are only a handful of teams that would be possible candidates for Rodgers. Are the Raiders one of those teams? It’s certainly possible as they have the cap space to take on his contract.
In a recent article by Bill Barnwell of ESPN, he wondered if the Raiders could swap Derek Carr (and a few draft picks) for Rodgers. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on the potential trade:
“If the Packers wanted to ship Rodgers to the AFC West, it wouldn’t be impossible to imagine them getting Carr back as a veteran option to take his place. Carr has been an above-average quarterback for several seasons, and as he enters the final year of his contract, he would be a smaller step down for the Packers than the one they would likely experience with Love as their starter.
Carr has been criticized in the past for being relatively conservative as a passer, but those arguments don’t apply any longer. Over the past two seasons, with limited receiving options outside of tight end Darren Waller — who missed chunks of 2021 because of injuries — Carr’s offense has produced 50 plays of 30 yards or more. That’s nearly as many as the Chiefs (51) over that same timespan.”
It still feels highly unlikely that the Raiders would make a move like this, especially after everything that happened during the 2021 season. Carr is the unquestioned leader in the locker room and just led the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
However, if the price was *only* Derek Carr and a first-round pick for Rodgers, the Raiders would be foolish not to think about it. Rodgers still is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and could make the Raiders an instant Super Bowl contender.
For the Packers, it would make some sense as they could get an established quarterback and some first-round picks to build up the rest of the roster. But this is all dependent on the Packers believing Jordan Love isn’t ready to take over the job. If that’s the case, a quarterback like Carr would be very appealing for Green Bay.
The most likely outcome is still that Rodgers remains in Green Bay for one more year and then rides off into the sunset. But if the Packers are serious about trading him, as many as 16 teams should put in offers for the star quarterback. Don’t be surprised if the Raiders are one of the more serious contenders in the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes.
[vertical-gallery id=88751]
[lawrence-newsletter]