Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Wants Out? Should Washington Trade?
ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Football Team has a starting quarterback on paper and in the words of coach Ron Rivera, Ryan Fitzpatrick, is the No. 1 going into camp. They have several fringe starters behind Ryan Fitzpatrick (Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke) but no long-term, sure-fire answer.
Let's try this as a long-shot possibility (and don't laugh): Should Washington make a run at. ... Aaron Rodgers?
Rodgers wants out of Green Bay for sure (we think), as long-suspected, based on multiple national reporters
Many didn't think Tom Brady would leave New England. He did. Peyton Manning forever a Colt, right? Nope. He finished his career and with a Super Bowl win aided by his defense and run game in Denver. Joe Montana left San Francisco to go to Kansas City and almost made it to the big game again in 1994.
The point is, in the NFL, change happens, sometimes in shocking ways, even to big-shot QBs. In a QB-empowerment era, Rodgers maybe wants to go to San Francisco, Denver or Las Vegas.
READ MORE: Comfortable With Current QB Options?
Matt LaFleur, the former Washington quarterbacks coach now in charge in Green Bay, put his QB in a spot to question the organization all off-season with a controversial decision late in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship game.
After the loss, LaFleur was asked if he thought Rodgers would want to stay in Green Bay.
Said the coach: "I sure as hell hope so. I mean, the guy is the MVP of this league. He's the heart and soul of our football team. So, hell yeah. He better be back here. He's our leader."
READ MORE: How Far Will Fields Fall? Top 10 QB Targets For Washington
Per multiple reports, Rodgers was at least interested enough in staying in Green Bay that he was negotiating a new contract, so all of this could be a leverage point and a power play.
As we see it: Washington doesn't have a long-term answer but it would make very little sense to trade for Rodgers now with Fitzpatrick on the roster. If he wasn't, it would be a different story.
Rodgers is 38. He's not a "QB of the Future" either, so that rationale doesn't hold water.
He is an incredible talent, and the price (in terms of trade and salary) are important but secondary issues, because he's also something else, as Green Bay has learned: Rodgers is a moody and at times surly personality. He wants things his way ... and it seems it's often tough to figure out exactly what "his way'' is.
What exactly is it he wants Green Bay to do for him to make him happy? What exactly what would his next team have to do to make a guy approaching 40 be happy?
He's a great QB but do you want to shoehorn all that ... well, drama ... into your building?
We say the answer should be "no.''
CONTINUE READING: NFL Draft Tracker - Trading Up for a QB?
