It’s one thing for fans and sofa pundits to say the Packers should trade Aaron Rodgers. It’s another for one of his former teammates, who is in the Hall of Fame and won a Super Bowl with the Packers, to weigh in.
On Tuesday’s episode of “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network, Charles Woodson was asked about Rodgers’ future, and, somewhat stunningly, opined that the Packers should trade him away.
“From a fan’s standpoint, and someone who’s played with the Packers, organizationally I think you would want to see Aaron Rodgers back because you know how this league is,” Woodson said. “If you have a quarterback, you have a shot. You look at the teams that are in the Super Bowl now, they have a great quarterback.
“But I’m just looking at the situation, and if I’m putting on my GM hat, when you say what are we going to do next season, when I’m looking at the roster that we have, you know what? I’m thinking about trading Aaron Rodgers and seeing what I can get in return for him.”
Woodson talked about the return haul the Packers could get, said their defense looks robust, and mentioned their fraught salary-cap situation.
“Maybe I can get a quarterback to steady my quarterback room and get some competition for Jordan Love,” Woodson said. “I’m telling [Matt] LaFleur, ‘Hey, Jordan Love does not leave the building this offseason. We’re gonna get him prepared to play.’ Because when I look at the team and this defense, and the way that defense performed, they have a good team. So, they’ll be able to go into next season solid on that side of the ball, and then let the offense catch up the rest of the season. It will also help their cap situation.
“So if I’m the Packers, you flirted a little bit [last] offseason with life without Aaron Rodgers. Now you’re really thinking about the future. So I’m thinking about trading Aaron Rodgers this offseason if I can.”
The Packers are nearly $40 million over the cap next season, and cuts and restructures are going to have to come from somewhere. After the Packers were upset by the 49ers as home favorites in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Rodgers said he does not want to play for a team that is in rebuilding mode. Rodgers was the presumptive MVP of the league this past season but did not play up to his lofty standards in the team’s playoff exit.
Packers president Mark Murphy and LaFleur have both been adamant that they want Rodgers to return. With all due respect to them, even if they secretly did not want Rodgers back, this is what they would be saying in February to maximize potential trade return.