The Green Bay Packers may be forced to answer the following question this offseason: One more season of Aaron Rodgers, or the rest of Jordan Love’s career?
It’s certainly possible the Packers can’t have both. If Rodgers returns for 2023, Love could force his way out of Green Bay via trade. The Packers believe Love is ready to play. He’s waited behind Rodgers for three seasons and the only way to meaningfully improve at this point is to be on the field. The team can’t reasonably expect the 2020 first-round pick to sit on the sidelines for a fourth season, so a trade request in this Rodgers-returns-to-Packers scenario is likely, if not all but guaranteed.
Rodgers can choose to return to football and the Packers still go with Love as the quarterback in 2023. It would require the franchise to trade Rodgers and begin the transition, giving Love a legitimate chance to be the long-term starter in Green Bay.
The Packers are at a crossroads. Does the team want one more guaranteed season out of Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer at the game’s most important position, or the rest of Love’s career, which is filled with potential but also a big unknown? Sacrificing Love for one more season out of Rodgers could rob the franchise of years of quarterback stability, but it’s never easy for a franchise to trade away an iconic player, especially if the team still believes (for better or worse) that it is in a championship window. Also worth noting: Rodgers’ dead cap hits inflate the longer he’s in Green Bay, incentivizing the team from a financial standpoint to move on sooner rather than later. And Love’s guaranteed fifth-year option, if exercised, will be over $20 million in 2024.
Alright, you make the call. You’re the Packers. Pick one: One more season of Rodgers or the rest of Love’s career? You can vote here or on Twitter.
Pick one: One more year of Aaron Rodgers or the rest of Jordan Love’s career?
— The Packers Wire (@ThePackersWire) February 9, 2023
