This will come as urgent and horrifying news to some of you, and I can’t believe I need to say this, but here it goes: Do not drink, mainline or otherwise ingest bleach or other disinfectants. You could die.
In addition, Aaron Rodgers will never play for the Minnesota Vikings.
You heard me.
Current Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will. Never. Be. A. Viking. Full. Stop.
It’s just not happening.
Oh, I know it was fun the first million or so times someone cleverly tweeted about Rodgers following the career path of Brett Lorenzo Favre from Green Bay to the Twin Cities. The dots were so easily connected following the Packers’ surprising selection of quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Many of the ubiquitous “Rodgers-to-the-Vikings” tweets were done in jest with tongues firmly implanted in cheeks. They were good for a laugh.
Yet many sports fans seemed to take the speculation seriously. The memes started flying. Trade scenarios were drawn up. Vikings offensive depth charts were updated. Purple Rodgers jerseys were purchased. Plots were hatched. Parades were planned.
Sorry to rain on any of those planned parades, but it’s not going to happen. Vikings fans, for the most part, loathe Rodgers. They cringe at his perceived arrogance, especially when he complains to the refs or seemingly blames his wide receivers (none of whom were drafted in the first round) for running the wrong route. However, you know those same Vikings fans would welcome the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer with open arms like they did Favre in 2009… and again in 2010.
And just to be clear, Rodgers is not going to the Packers’ biggest rival, the Chicago Bears, either.
You heard that right. The fact that the Bears, not the Vikings, are the Packers’ most heated rival may also come as a bit of news to you. I’m just here to deliver the truth, folks.
Do I believe that the Packers might soon be ready to turn the page from the Rodgers Era? Yes, absolutely. You don’t draft a quarterback in the first round if you don’t intend to hand him the reins of your offense in the near future.
Do I believe Rodgers might be miffed over the Love pick and the lack of any selections being spent on the most ballyhooed class of wide receivers in the history of all things played with a ball? Yeah, he’s probably a bit ticked.
No less an authority on playing quarterback for the Packers, Favre even thinks Rodgers will finish his playing career somewhere other than Green Bay.
The torch won’t be passed this season, though.
Even if Rodgers is upset and things turn ugly in the Packers’ locker room, it would be extremely cost-prohibitive to move on from Rodgers prior to the 2020 season. In fact, there are no salary cap gymnastics that would realistically allow them to do so.
Interestingly, however, the Packers could save more than $20 million in cap space by jettisoning Rodgers prior to any of the final three seasons on his contract. Rodgers is set to become a free agent following the 2023 season at 40 years old. Overthecap.com did a wonderful job of breaking down the salary cap ramifications of either cutting or trading Rodgers prior to the 2021, 2022 or 2023 seasons. It’s a lot of math and stuff, but the bottom line is that dealing Rodgers as soon as next offseason is a scenario that makes more sense if the Packers are ready to hand things off to Love as the starter.
The Favre blueprint of retiring, then unretiring only to be traded by the Packers to the New York Jets, then retiring again after one season with them, and then coming back again to sign with the Vikings isn’t going to be duplicated with Rodgers. Let’s be honest, it won’t be duplicated by anyone.
The Packers would be wise to trade Rodgers in 2021 or 2022 if, in fact, they are ready to move on at that time. Indeed, Rodgers might go so far as to demand a trade if things go sideways. Trading Rodgers instead of cutting him would at least net the Packers something in return. Moreover, by trading Rodgers, the Packers can control where he goes – at least at first. And you don’t need to be a nanotechnologist to determine they aren’t about to deal him to a division rival. Thus, you can remove the Vikings, Bears and Lions from the list of trade partners. While you’re at it, you can probably remove any and all NFC teams from the list of potential trade destinations.
They’d be looking to the AFC for a deal. The Jaguars, Patriots and Steelers are among the teams most often speculated. The Raiders are another team that has come up an awful lot and, frankly, it makes too much sense. Rodgers in Vegas with Jon Gruden and a bunch of speedy playmakers? Yes, please.
If by some chance the Packers make the decision to release Rodgers because doing so would rid them of the perceived headache and for whatever reason a trade market doesn’t materialize – yeah, right — Rodgers still won’t be heading to the Vikings. He’s been tied to Favre for long enough. Do you seriously think he’d want to further intertwine his legacy with Favre’s by also finishing his career with the Vikes?
No chance. Rodgers would want to write a distinctly different end to his NFL story.
Rodgers is a California native. He’d head west, but he wouldn’t stop at the Twin Cities; he’d be goin’ back to Cali.
Thus, the prediction here, as of today: if Rodgers is traded, it will be to the Raiders. If he’s somehow cut, he’s going to the 49ers.
Not the Vikings. Zero chance.
