Packers Aaron Rodgers trade idea: Blockbuster deal with Broncos

The Green Bay Packers are stuck in an impossible situation with Aaron Rodgers. But one way out of it would be to strike this massive trade with the Denver Broncos.

John Elway and the entire Broncos organization are known to be an extremely aggressive operation, often giving out exorbitant free-agent contracts even in rebuilding years.

The Packers should look to take advantage of that, and quit pretending once and for all like they are actually still committed to Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers, with this trade framework, could reorient the direction of the franchise and put themselves back on the path to a Super Bowl.

Blockbuster Aaron Rodgers trade idea for Packers

Broncos get

• Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams

Packers get

• First-round picks in 2022, ’23, ’25
• Second-round pick in ’22
• Third-round picks in ’22, ’23
• Fourth-round pick in ’24
• WR Jerry Jeudy
• WR K.J. Hamler
• LG Dalton Risner
• QB Drew Lock
• CB Patrick Surtain II

While this is an incredible amount of information involved in one trade, the idea is pretty simple: the Packers blow it up and start over in a pretty desirable position. If Aaron Rodgers is going to be traded, the Packers ought to ship out anyone who by the time they find their next quarterback, is beyond their prime. This includes Davante Adams.

Adams has cemented himself as the best wide receiver Rodgers has ever played with, and will at the very least, receive some Hall-of-Fame votes. Adams is coming off a season for the ages, highlighted by a jaw-dropping three-touchdown display against the Tennessee Titans in the snow at Lambeau Field.

But, with Rodgers gone, there’s no use in waiting for Jordan Love, or whoever else, to build up the same rapport with Adams as he advances into his 30s on a huge new contract. Adams will be a free agent after this coming season.

In this deal, the Packers can clear the decks, acquire years of significant salary cap relief, and bring in a king’s ransom of assets. They can essentially combine Rodgers and Adams into one package, and net seven draft choices, a full extra draft’s worth, in return.

The deal is structured so one of the first-rounders doesn’t arrive until 2025, when Rodgers’ future with the Broncos, and the NFL more broadly, is completely unknown, and the Broncos could plunge through the standings. A second, two thirds, and a fourth on top of that is an absolute haul for a team that loves draft picks more than a shark loves blood.

But just as importantly, Green Bay can stock up on a number of young players as well. Drew Lock doesn’t have much going for him right now, but there is absolutely no downside to bringing him in, filling out the quarterback room, and at least examining whether or not a change of scenery can help him.

At the quarterback position alone, Jordan Love, Drew Lock, and Blake Bortles as a veteran backup along with truckloads of first-round picks give the Packers plenty of avenues for pursuing the true successor to Aaron Rodgers.

Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler would also help form a very intriguing young group of receivers in Green Bay. Those two along with Amari Rodgers would be raw but could have a sky-high ceiling. With their newfound salary relief, the Packers can also re-sign Allen Lazard long-term to a modest contract. This also enables the Packers to lock up Robert Tonyan, a critical piece to the tight end-heavy Nathaniel Hackett offense.

Dalton Risner could also be a great chess piece for Green Bay. Among the countless reasons the 2020 draft was the most bizarre and unproductive draft in decades in Green Bay, two of the three offensive linemen drafted in that class don’t look to be in the team’s plans going forward.

Jon Runyan Jr. played decently when needed, but Simon Stepaniak and Jake Hanson never saw the field or the active roster all year. The Packers even brought in Runyan Jr.’s former college teammate, Ben Braden, as another guard late in the season ahead of Stepaniak.

This is part of why the Packers felt compelled to once again draft three offensive linemen a year later. Josh Myers, Royce Newman, and Cole Van Lanen are all joining a group that lost Corey Linsley to free agency, and will likely be without David Bakhtiari for some time.

Risner can play both guard and tackle, and could also allow Lucas Patrick to play center in the event Myers simply isn’t ready to be the starter right away. Furthermore, Risner could even start at tackle if the Packers want to move Billy Turner back to left tackle, and keep Runyan Jr. as an interior backup. The versatility across the offensive line with Risner would be very enticing for a group that will sorely miss Bakhtiari early in the season.

The biggest piece here, however, is clearly Patrick Surtain II. The Broncos essentially quadruple-downed on the corner position with their top-10 draft pick in this year’s draft, snatching Surtain III after adding Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby in free agency.

They also brought back both Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons at safety, and are still sitting on Michael Ojemudia after drafting him in the third round last year. Adding Surtain III would form an absolutely terrifying secondary in Green Bay.

Jaire Alexander, Surtain II, Kevin King (gulp), Eric Stokes, Chandon Sullivan, and the under-the-radar Shemar Jean-Charles is oozing with potential, combined with two very capable safeties. While there are a lot of justified reasons for not being particularly excited about Joe Barry being the new defensive coordinator, he would unquestionably have a filthy amount of talent in his secondary to work with, and a great defensive tackle anchoring an otherwise average front.

With this new-look group, the Packers have young talent at nearly every position, and still have Aaron Jones, Bakhtiari, Tonyan, Alexander, Kenny Clark, Adrian Amos, and Za’Darius Smith as more-than-capable win-now players.

With the way Jones’ new deal is structured, the Packers have years of cap flexibility, and seven extra draft picks to play with. They could also get out from under what is a thoroughly radioactive situation with their quarterback, and turn the page in better shape than most ever are when beginning a rebuild.