Report: Broncos Anticipating Aaron Rodgers' Decision to Come No Later Than Tuesday, March 8

The rubber is about to meet the road in the Aaron Rodgers situation.

On Tuesday, as Denver Broncos GM George Paton held court with local and national media to kick off the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, he said that he'll "exhaust all options" to acquire the best quarterback for this team. 

Many believe the best option would be back-to-back NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. The fly in that ointment? Rodgers is under contract with the Green Bay Packers, so it'd not only require the player's consent, but also that of his current team. 

Paton is A-okay with trading premium-round draft picks in an "aggressive" pursuit of a QB upgrade. But whatever King's ransom the Packers could fleece off Paton's Broncos has been stuck in limbo as Rodgers has mulled his decision.

The latest reports indicate that Rodgers is "torn" about where to play next season. Does he return to his team of 17 years? Or follow his "like a brother" favorite coach Nathaniel Hackett to the Mile High City?

That's what the NFL world has been waiting, on pins and needles, to find out. While fans suffer the ravages of Rodgers fatigue, a hard deadline has emerged for the perennial Pro Bowler to make his big call. 

9NEWS' Mike Klis reported on Sunday that Tuesday, March 8, is the unofficial deadline for Rodgers to inform the Packers of his decision. Klis explained why. 

Tuesday has been Rodgers’ deadline because that’s the final day for the Packers to decide whether to place an $18.5 million franchise tag on his favorite receiver, Davante Adams. Could Adams then become an NBA-like tag-sign-and-trade as part of a Rodgers’ deal?

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How seriously Rodgers takes that deadline is the question but it's fair to assume Klis is right and that out of respect for Green Bay and his close friend and trusty receiver, he'll muster up a decision finally by Tuesday. If Rodgers ultimately opts to shake things up and head west to the Mile High City, Paton is ready to barter with Green Bay. 

As Klis reports, and as many league insiders have surmised since Rodgers' disgruntlement first become common knowledge on Draft Night nearly a year ago, it'll take, at bottom, two first-round picks and likely Denver's No. 40 overall selection to get the deal done. While many fans have misgivings over giving up such a coveted grip of premium draft picks for a quarterback entering his age-39 season, the reality is, Rodgers is at the top of his game. 

The Broncos took a huge leap of faith back in 2012 by signing Peyton Manning to a five-year, $96 million deal because he'd missed the entirety of the previous season with a neck injury that required a whopping four surgeries to even come close to fixing. Then GM John Elway had little guarantee that Manning would return to his MVP form.

The Rodgers situation is wildly different. Yes, Rodgers is two years older now than Manning was then but he's healthy and in consecutive seasons, has turned in the best quarterback performance the league over. 

For Paton and Hackett, giving up the haul of draft picks it'd take to land Rodgers is a non-issue. The issue is whether or not Rodgers wants to leave Green Bay and come to Denver. 

The Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers would reportedly also be in on any potential Rodgers trade, though the veteran obviously would be the primary dictator of where he lands. It's a safe bet to wager that, if Rodgers opts to leave Green Bay, it'd only be to follow Hackett to the Mile High City. 

Tuesday's decision point also happily coincides with Rodgers' weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. When Rodgers finally reveals it, odds are it'll be in front of a national audience, not leaked info sent by an insider's tweet. 

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Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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