Green Bay maintained in the 2021 offseason trading Aaron Rodgers to an NFC team was completely off the table. One year later, is that still the case?
Despite murmurs about Rodgers being interested in playing in Minnesota, it's safe to say an NFC North team is out of the question. Much like the AFC, any interested NFC team would also have to be a franchise Rodgers is willing to be traded to, with the cap space on top to sign the veteran to a deal after 2022. His star wideout Davante Adams also wishes to be included in the deal, but many expect the receiver to be franchise tagged rather than traded this offseason.
This leaves us with only a few NFC teams in play for Aaron Rodgers, and arguably several have much more to offer him than any of the AFC teams from our previous article.
San Francisco
Kyle Shanahan aggressively pursued Aaron Rodgers in the 2021 offseason, reportedly offering Green Bay several first round picks and Jimmy Garappolo to no avail. If trading Rodgers within the NFC is an option now, San Francisco is certainly a destination Rodgers would enjoy, with his California roots and the strong roster already constructed out there. The downside is, last year San Francisco had the third overall pick, and this year it will be one of the last picks in the round. They did draft raw quarterback prospect Trey Lance in 2021, but he doesn't look ready to lead the team yet and the addition of Rodgers would catapult the 49ers to instant Super Bowl favorites, rather than merely in contention.
A trade acquiring Rodgers would likely ship Jimmy Garappolo to Green Bay, providing them a bridge at the position while they make a decision on Jordan Love. The main negative about San Francisco, other than their draft position, is their cap situation. The 49ers don't have a ton of space, but with most franchises, contracts can be restructured to bring on a future Hall of Famer.
Carolina
Carolina experienced a total disaster after trading for Sam Darnold and dealing with another year of IR for star running back Christian McCaffrey. It's safe to say bringing back Cam Newton was a short-lived answer, and the Panthers are on the prowl for a signal caller for 2022.
It's unclear if Rodgers would be interested in Carolina, but the Panthers have the cap space and also the skeleton of an explosive roster. A healthy McCaffrey with Rodgers and potentially Adams would be a devastating trio in the NFC South.
Washington
I don't think Rodgers would be excited about getting shipped to Washington, but the commissioner sure would. The old "Football Team" is now the Commanders, and they have the cap space to bring on a huge name (possibly two big names) to help with their rebranding.
Rodgers has issues with the front office in Green Bay, and considering the negative press about how Washington operates, I would think Rodgers would retire before becoming a willing participant in that debacle. Plus, the name is stupid. If they wanted Rodgers they should have picked a better name.
Seattle
Seattle has a bit of cap space and a disgruntled quarterback. They also have premier wide receivers already in place. The only way this would go down is in a crazy quarterback swap, and the main issue there would be that Green Bay is second-lowest in the league as far as available cap space is concerned, making it difficult for them to sign Russell Wilson to a long term deal. It could be accomplished however, in a epic "swapping of the divas".
Tampa Bay
Of course we can't leave out Tampa Bay, who is reeling after Tom Brady's retirement announcement and left without a quarterback for 2022. The rest of the roster is still in win-now mode, featuring an incredible defense, offensive line, and receiving options already in place. They also have some available cap room to get a deal done, and have plenty of young stars that could pad a possible trade.
The only reason this doesn't make sense is, Brady already did it. Rodgers is attempting to cement a legacy with his last few seasons, and doing what another did before him doesn't really scream "legendary", especially if the rest of the roster is primarily unchanged from what Brady had.
Summary:
I really don't think Green Bay wants Rodgers in their conference, and I also don't think any NFC team has appreciably more to offer Rodgers than the AFC options. If he does go to the NFC I think San Francisco is a no-brainer, and we should expect another run at a deal from Kyle Shanahan.
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