Packers waiting on Aaron Rodgers' decision on future, open to trade if QB wants one
Sources emphasized the relationship between the Packers and Rodgers remains positive 11 months after the club signed him to a massive contract extension that seemed to all but secure his stated goal of playing his entire career with one team. For much of the season, Rodgers played through injuries, including a fractured right thumb and a rib injury that opened the door for Love, and kept playing even amid fading playoff hopes.
Whatever happens from here, the Packers and their star QB will work on it together -- but the first move belongs to Rodgers.
If Rodgers decides he wants to continue his career elsewhere, there figures to be no shortage of suitors, with the Jets (who recently hired Rodgers' friend and former coach Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator) and the Raiders among the most logical potential suitors.
Rodgers is due $59.515 million in 2023, including $58.3 million structured as an option bonus that lowers his cap number to about $31.6 million if he's on the Packers next season. If Rodgers is traded, the Packers would need to rework the deal for cap purposes prior to any trade.
All of which is moot if Rodgers emerges from the darkness and decides to turn out the lights on his Hall of Fame-caliber career.
The clock will soon be ticking, with the new league year and free agency set to begin in a little over a month on March 15.