Aaron Rodgers may have played his last game at Lambeau Field.
The future hall-of-famer hasn't been shy about voicing his displeasures with the Packers organisation, especially over the past several years.
Greenbay has made a habit of neglecting offensive weapons in favour of acquiring and trading defensive pieces, drafting Rodgers air apparent in Jordan Love in 2020, in conjunction with pussyfooting around keeping Rodgers' favourite targets on the roster.
The star QB felt slighted that he wasn't informed about his replacement being drafted while he was still producing at an elite level, as Rodgers went on to win the 2020-21 MVP and is favoured to repeat again for this season.
It comes as no surprise that he may leave the organisation that drafted him, as he began the year holding out and ended the year with an embarrassing playoff exit to the 49ers.
Packers scored a touchdown on their opening possession, the 49ers didnโt score an offensive touchdown all game, and still San Francisco finds itself in next Sundayโs NFC Championship Game.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 23, 2022
Afterward, Rodgers let the world know how he really felt when prompted during his postgame presser.
Aaron Rodgers weighs in on his future with the Packers. pic.twitter.com/fBsMFiXnrb
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 23, 2022
If he were to immediately depart Green Bay it would have to be via trade, unless he were to either be cut or sit out all of 2022-23 where he will reach free agency prior to the 2023-4 season commencing.
With all this in mind, if a trade were to be made which teams could be potential landing spots for Rodgers?
Pittsburghย
Mike Tomlin is an amazing head coach and Superbowl Champion who has never had a losing season during his tenure with the Steelers.
He has instilled a winning culture in Pittsburgh as well as constructed a formidable defence led by TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Pretty similar to Green Bay right?
Not really because the Steelers boast a cohort of offensive weapons that Rodgers has never had at his disposal, as JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool make a deadly duo on the outside while Najee Harris is a bully on the ground.
Add in that Rodgers is already acclimatised to the cold and you have a near-perfect match in Pittsburgh as Big Ben rides off into the sunset.
Washington
Fitzmagic and Taylor Heinecke are both capable of balling out at the QB position but aren't realistically the long-term answer in Washington.
It's quite scary how good this team is on the defensive side of the ball especially when healthy, while the offensive side of the ball hosts receiving threat Terry McLaurin and all-purpose back Antionio Gibson.
Washington is similar enough to Pittsburgh but without the pedigree, yet they do make up for it by playing in a weak NFC East, which is significantly easier than competing with the Browns, Bengals and Ravens in the AFC North.
Cleveland
Rodgers would break an unspeakable amount of passing records behind the best offensive line in football.
Despite the history of disfunction in Cleveland, head coach Kevin Stefansky has the Browns trending in the right direction with his brilliant offensive schemes and playcalling.
While former number one pick Baker Mayfield is currently contracted, The Browns would be foolish to not capitalise on possibly adding the greatest thrower of the football (ever) to their roster.
This is all without mentioning their turnover-inducing D and unstoppable running-back tandem of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
If this move were to happen the Cleveland Browns may very well enter next season as Super Bowl favorites.
Indianapolis
The Colts have everything except consistent QB play.
They boast arguably the best running back in the league as Jonathan Taylor proved to be unstoppable this season with his 1811 rushing yards and 18 TDs but are a little thin in the receiving department.ย Yet, this may not be as big an issue given the play-action madness Rodgers and Taylor would generate.
Continuing with the theme of what will make Rodgers want to land anywhere, The Colts have a solid defence that doesn't leek points in the red zone.
Adding to Indy's appeal is their indoor stadium, which would be perfect for an aging Rodgers who would certainly benefit after playing countless snaps in the less than idyllic Wisconsin weather his entire career.
Verdict
Who the heck knows with Aaron Rodgers.
This back and forth has been going on for years so the clarity surrounding such a tumultuous situation is no clearer than several years ago. However, one thing that is certain will be that Green Bay isn't just going to give their legendary QB away.
Securing Rodgers' service at this stage will be the same as when Tampa Bay acquired Tom Brady two years ago, your franchise will contend for a Super Bowl every year he's on the roster.
Keep tuned in to Zero Touchdown for updates on the situation.