As we enter the 2023 NFL offseason, it looks like an Aaron Rodgers trade is on the horizon. The Green Bay Packers seem to want it, so they can turn the team over to Jordan Love, and the four-time NFL MVP is open to it. There are several teams who will have interest in Rodgers, even though he’ll turn 40 next season. One of those teams is the Las Vegas Raiders. Incumbent QB Derek Carr is out, and the team has lots of win-now pieces on the roster, including Rodgers’ old teammate, Davante Adams. So, if Vegas owner Mark Davis and head coach Josh McDaniels want the Super Bowl winner in Silver and Black, here are two Aaron Rodgers-Raiders trade deals that could get it done.
An Aaron Rodgers-Raiders trade makes a lot of sense
Fifteen years ago, the Packers decided it was time to a trade franchise to make way for a young QB they drafted in the first round who sat on the bench for three seasons. In 2023, history is repeating itself on an almost scary level.
Back in 2008, the QB names were Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. In 2022, it’s Rodgers in the Favre role and Jordan Love as the new Rodgers. Time will tell if this will work out as well as it did the first time, but it seems like an Aaron Rodgers trade will 100% happen this offseason.
Rodgers still seems like he has a few good seasons left in him, even at 39. He struggled at times this year with a weaker offensive line than he is used to and rookie wide receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
The Raiders went all in last offseason, trading for Davante Adams and signing Chandler Jones to go along with Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow, and Maxx Crosby. What they didn’t do is upgrade at QB, and now it seems like the franchise is pinning its disappointing 6-11 2022 campaign on Derek Carr.
Jacobs is now a free agent, and the franchise will have to deal with that this summer. However, the rest of the stars mentioned above are locked-in for at least two years, which is a perfect timeline for what the Raiders would likely get out of Rodgers moving over from the Packers.
After trading the Packers their first-round pick for Adams last season, the Raiders once again have their selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. That means the Raiders could make an Aaron Rodgers trade with just picks. However, the Raiders D is also in shambles right now, so keeping as many picks as possible is ideal.
With that in mind, here are two Aaron Rodgers-Raiders trades the team could offer the Packers. One is for just picks, while the other gets a little more creative.
Trade 1: Two first-round picks for Rodgers
As great as Aaron Rodgers has been in his career, he’ll be 40 next season, which means he likely won’t fetch the same sky-high price that Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson did last season. That said, he’s still a franchise QB, and the Packers reportedly want two first-round picks for him.
If the Raiders go in for an Aaron Rodgers trade with just picks, they may have a leg up on the New York Jets, who are likely their main competition. The Raiders own the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft, while the Jets have No. 13.
Two first-rounders (and maybe a late-round pick or two) is a steep price to pay for the signal-caller but it may be what the Raiders have to part with to get a deal done.
Trade 2: One first-round pick and Chandler Jones for Rodgers
The other Aaron Rodgers-Raiders deal that the Packers could find intriguing is a first-round pick — ideally 2024 but likely 2023 — and a start player for Rodgers. That could also help from a payroll standpoint, as the team that acquires the QB will be on the hook for a ton of money the next two seasons.
In this scenario, Las Vegas could send No. 7 (and a later-round pick or two this year or next) to Green Bay along with Chandler Jones.
Jones was a big-money free-agent signing in the 2022 offseason coming off a 10.5-sack Pro Bowl season in 2021. However, he disappointed in 2022 with just 4.5 sacks.
The pass-rusher will be 33 soon and has two years at $19 million per left on his deal, but there is a relatively cheap and easy out after 2023. If Jones can re-find his 2021 form, he could help the Packers defense that was 28th in the league in sacks last season with just 34.
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