Could Aaron Rodgers end up with the Minnesota Vikings?
By Adam Patrick
The reigning NFL MVP and current Minnesota Vikings nemesis, Aaron Rodgers, is apparently unhappy with the Green Bay Packers.
Following the three days of the 2021 NFL Draft, fans of the Minnesota Vikings were left with a bit of a dilemma. Vikings fans had to figure out if this year’s haul of players in the draft or all of the Aaron Rodgers drama with the Green Bay Packers was the most exciting thing to come out of this past weekend.
For most, the answer is both. Minnesota added a bunch of talented new players in the draft and watching the Packers higher-ups scramble to cover up all of the Rodgers-related leaks coming out of their building like a game of Wack-A-Mole has been incredibly intoxicating.
It sounds like things are pretty tense up in Green Bay with their veteran quarterback, who reportedly does not want to play for them anymore. If the Packers actually threw up their hands and gave in to Rodgers’ reported demands to be traded, where might he end up?
Do the Minnesota Vikings have any chance of landing Aaron Rodgers this year?
Since Green Bay would free up more cap space if they trade their top quarterback after June 1, most don’t expect anything to happen before then. That gives the Packers about a month to convince Rodgers to stick around for at least another season.
If Green Bay is unable to work things out with the All-Pro passer, then they might actually just see what they can get on the trade market for him. With Rodgers just ending last season as the NFL MVP, the Packers should be able to get a pretty hefty return in exchange for the veteran quarterback.
So who are some of the teams that have expressed interest in acquiring Rodgers from Green Bay? During the last few days, multiple reports have come out about the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders all being possible destinations for Rodgers before next season.
The 49ers just selected Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft, so one would assume that they’re likely out of the running. But what about the Vikings? Is there any believable scenario out there that has Rodgers suiting up for Minnesota next season?
In short, absolutely not. Sorry to pop any bubbles of hope, but it seems extremely unlikely that the Packers would trade the reigning league MVP to one of their biggest rivals.
Inter-divisional trades aren’t very common in the NFL. They only usually happen when the team unloading the player doesn’t feel threatened by the guy they’re letting go (see Drew Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills and Donovan McNabb to the Washington Football Team).
If the Vikings were going to have any chance of convincing Green Bay to trade them Rodgers after an MVP season, Minnesota would have to offer a ridiculous compensation package. Something like five future first-round draft picks, Justin Jefferson, and Danielle Hunter, and that probably still wouldn’t be enough to get the Packers to pull the trigger on a deal.
So while we still can’t rule out Green Bay trading Rodgers this summer, it’s pretty safe to assume that he won’t be stepping on the field in Week 1 of the 2021 season in a purple and gold Vikings uniform.