If Aaron Rodgers does trade to another team this off-season it's unlikely to be the Las Vegas Raiders, as they've reportedly agreed to distance themselves from the quarterback.
That's according to The Athletic, who claim that Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels agreed that they will not be in the mix for Rodgers, should he decide to leave the Green Bay Packers. The Raiders are in need of a new quarterback after releasing Derek Carr, but they cannot afford to offer high draft picks for Rodgers.
The pair reportedly feel as though there are too many issues with their current roster to go all out for Rodgers, especially as they are yet to tie down star running-back Josh Jacobs. Rodgers has been sending mixed messages about his NFL future all off-season long, but the Raiders have withdrawn from the running.
It's still not known where Rodgers will be next season, whether it's back at Lambeau Field, or at a new franchise for the first time in his career. Until now the New York Jets and the Raiders have been front runners to take him from the Packers, but the latter have seemingly pulled out.
It's unlikely he will retire as he's made it clear he wants another MVP award, and he still has two years left on a bumper contract that was signed last off-season to earn $50.27million per year. But he's been very public about his indecisiveness all throughout 2023, and Rodgers even spent four days at a darkness retreat to mull over his future before breaking his silence again.
The veteran quarterback went on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast to talk about his future once more, and touched upon how the retreat has helped focus his mind. "It’s best for anybody who has an interest in this to make a decision sooner rather than later," Rodgers said.
"I remember before (Brett) Favre retired, there were times in April and May, we weren’t sure if he was going to come back because he didn’t come to any of the offseason program. Then in 2008, he actually did retire in March and then said, ‘No, no no,’ in June after OTAs, ‘I actually want to come back and play’.
"That’s when he was traded to the Jets. There was obviously a lot of tension that summer. For everybody involved directly and indirectly, it’s best for a decision earlier.
"I feel really good about the conversations that are going to be had, that have been had with important people in my life - yourself included. But I’m not looking for somebody to tell me what the answer is. All the answers are right inside me. I touched many of the feeling on both sides in the darkness. I’m thankful for that time.
"There’s a finality to the decision. I don’t make it lightly. I don’t want to drag anybody around. I’m answering questions about it because I got asked about it. I’m talking about it because it’s important to me.
"If you don’t like it and you think it’s drama, and you think I’m being a diva or whatever, then just tune it out. That’s fine. But this is my life. It’s important to me. I’ll make a decision soon enough and we’ll go down that road. I’ll be really excited about it."
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