The surprising selection of Jordan Love suggests the Packers now are thinking about life without Aaron Rodgers.
Perhaps the feeling is mutual, as Jason Whitlock believes Rodgers now is thinking about life outside of Green Bay.
The Packers traded up four spots in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft to select Rodgers’ potential successor. Furthermore, Green Bay did not select a wide receiver despite the overload of high-end pass-catching prospects in this year’s class.
Whitlock believes Rodgers is becoming fed up with the lack of support in Green Bay and eventually will look to take his talents elsewhere while he’s still playing at a high level.
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“I’m not predicting Aaron Rodgers gets traded immediately, but I believe Aaron Rodgers is on the trading block,” Whitlock said Wednesday on FS1’s “Speak For Yourself.”
“If somebody blew the Packers’ doors away right now with a trade offer, I think they would make that move. I think that Aaron Rodgers, this is his final season in Green Bay. I don’t think he’ll get traded this year, but after this season coming up Aaron Rodgers moves on because Aaron Rodgers is going to want to move on. … Aaron Rodgers is going to demand, ‘Let me get out of here while I still have a chance to go someplace else and win and prove that these guys held me back.’ Aaron Rodgers at 36, 37 I think still has a lot of value in the National Football League. … Aaron Rodgers still has a tremendous amount of value, and while he has it, I think he’s going to force his way out of Green Bay in the next 12 months.”
"I think that Aaron Rodgers, this is his final season in Green Bay." — @WhitlockJason
Agree with Whitlock? pic.twitter.com/nyz4nN8Jk7
— Speak For Yourself (@SFY) April 29, 2020
While a move likely could be made if both parties were motivated enough, trading Rodgers in either this season or next would be a massive financial burden for the Packers. If Green Bay were to trade the two-time NFL MVP, one has to imagine it would be toward the end of Rodgers’ deal, which expires after the 2023 season.
So while a Rodgers trade in the near future probably is unlikely, it’s far from a guarantee the eight-time Pro Bowl selection will play out his career in Green Bay. His predecessor, for one, thinks Rodgers’ NFL tenure will end elsewhere.
