Packers Morning Buzz: When an Aaron Rodgers trade makes the most sense

Stu Courtney
Packers News
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers may not get his wish of spending his entire career with the team.

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

We'll start with former sports agent Joel Corry of CBS Sports examining when it might make the most sense for the Packers to go with Jordan Love and trade Aaron Rodgers, based on both players' contract structures.

Corry writes:

A trade in 2022 seems more likely than in 2021. The Packers would pick up $22.648 million cap room by removing Rodgers' $39.852 million cap number in 2022 from the equation. There would be $17.204 million of dead money in 2022 from Rodgers' departure. Just like with a trade in 2021, Rodgers' $28.352 million cap number in 2023 would come off Green Bay's books.

The Packers would have a new starting quarterback in Love with $1,735,770 and $2,298,655 salaries in 2022 and 2023, with $3,377,310 and $3,940,195 cap numbers respectively in those years.

The Packers would probably have less time to determine whether Love is the long-term successor to Rodgers with a 2022 trade. Waiting would limit the amount of Love's fifth-year option in 2024. There wouldn't be a way for him to elevate the option year to the 2023 quarterback franchise tag as a first-year starter. Getting his option-year salary to the 2023 transition tag would require Love instantly becoming one of the NFC's best quarterbacks to earn a Pro Bowl berth. The most likely scenario would be Love's option-year salary being at the lowest level because it would be hard for him to average 50 percent playtime over his first three years even he took all of Green Bay's quarterback snaps in 2022 unless Rodgers missed significant time with an injury during his first two years.

You can read the entire story here:

SI.com's Albert Breer ranks five rookie quarterbacks based on their projected 2020 playing time. Naturally, Love ranked fifth.

Breer writes:

5) Jordan Love, Packers. I honestly thought of putting Jacob Eason in this spot, in the case where he starts for the Colts in a game without much meaning (either because they’ve locked up their spot in the playoffs, or they fall out of the race). But then I thought about it, and remembered the Packers got a bye last year, and very well could be in that sort of situation in Week 17 themselves. Either way, I believe this will be a true redshirt year for Love.

You can find Breer's entire column here:

Another hurdle to overcome for Packers defensive tackle Montravius Adams:

Green Bay might have gotten a steal with fifth-round linebacker Kamel Martin:

The Packers are losing one of their top scouts to the Browns:

The Packers' failure to draft a wide receiver dooms them to an offseason full of stories like this: Pro Football Focus rates each NFL team's receivers, and Green Bay doesn't fare well.

PFF's Ben Linsey writes:

26. GREEN BAY PACKERS

The consensus biggest need for the Packers heading into this offseason was another threat at wide receiver to take some of the burden off Davante Adams, and their marquee acquisition to solve that problem was … Devin Funchess. Funchess has been a solid option in the passing game as a possession receiver, earning overall grades between 64.4 and 74.7 in his four seasons of NFL action. However, the Packers still lack dynamic playmakers behind Adams on the depth chart. They’re relying heavily on young guys like Allen Lazard (69.6 overall grade in 2019) and Jace Sternberger (99 snaps in 2019 due to injury) to take big steps next season.

You can read the entire story here:

More evidence that Rodgers lacks a reliable deep threat:

Getting down to the nitty-gritty on what it will take to play a 2020 NFL season:

Could the 2014 Packers have stopped the Seahawks on a fourth-and-15 (rather than dealing with an onside kick)?

Cheesehead TV ranks the all-time greatest Packers running back groups:

Former Packers fullback Danny Vitale knows he faces a tough task in New England ...

And finally:

Contact Stu Courtney at (920) 431-8377 or scourtney@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stucourt