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Take this with a very, very large pinch of salt. Will Blackmon started his 10-year NFL career with the Green Bay Packers around the same time as Aaron Rodgers, mainly returning punts and kickoffs from 2006 to 2009. Now Blackmon is offering his insight on Rodgers’ future.
“Next year, Aaron Rodgers will be a New Orleans Saint,” Blackmon told TMZ Sports. “I can see Aaron Rodgers being a New Orleans Saint next year.”
I’m guessing Rodgers isn’t sharing his career plans with someone he hasn’t shared a locker room with in over a decade, but let’s think this through. Rodgers and Green Bay agreed to restructure his contract on the eve of training camp, which raised his 2022 salary cap hit to a staggering $46.1 million — making it all but certain he’ll be traded before his deal expires in 2023. Trading Rodgers in 2022 saves the Packers about $19.3 million, which they can put towards building around heir-apparent quarterback Jordan Love.
Any team that acquires the then-38-year-old Rodgers in 2022 will be on the hook for his $26.4 million salary, which is peanuts compared to the $40 million-plus younger passers are signing for these days. Of course he’ll be expecting a new contract extension upon jumping ship, which his new team could use to lower his current-year cap hit and build a competitive team.
That explains why the Saints could appeal to Rodgers, whether Blackmon has an inside scoop or not. They just showed that their coaching staff and front office understand how to carry an aging quarterback to the postseason, and Rodgers could see a fit in Sean Payton’s pass-first offense with established stars like Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk, and Michael Thomas to help him out.
Now, whether the Saints will be willing to tie themselves to another older passer on a high price tag is another conversation. They only even consider this if both Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston fall flat in 2021. Trading serious draft assets for Rodgers and then paying him highly is a tough sell given how thin their roster has become this offseason. But it’s also exactly the sort of all-in move Payton has been characterized by during his tenure in New Orleans.
It’s certainly possible that Rodgers might want to wear a fleur-de-lis someday. They were open to teaming up with Tom Brady during his brief free agency last year, and he was older then Rodgers will be a year from now. If the Saints envision an avenue to keep their talented core together while landing a generational quarterback like Rodgers, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they try it. But this is all just idle speculation. It’s just as possible that Rodgers leads the Packers to the Super Bowl and decides to run it back one more time instead of forcing his exit. So, we’ll see. For now, let’s hope Winston or Hill can lead New Orleans back to the playoffs.
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