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The Aaron Rodgers Watch Begins in Earnest June 1

It makes more financial sense for the Packers to trade former Cal star Aaron Rodgers after June 1, so speculation will run rampant. Don't expect something to happen soon, though
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The Aaron Rodgers Watch officially begins today, June 1.

Former Cal star Aaron Rodgers has said he no longer wants to play for the Green Bay Packers, and the Packers have said they will not trade him. But the people who know about these things have been saying a trade was not likely to happen until June 1. That’s because the Packers will get significant salary-cap relief if they trade or release Rodgers after that date.

If the Packers trade Rodgers after June 1, they would save $16.050 million in salary-cap space in 2021. Of course, they would also alienate a lot of Packer fans if they do trade him, but if Packer officials believe Rodgers would rather sit out the season than play for them, they may have little choice but to get the best deal they can. We are a long way from that, though.

Rodgers did not participate in the Packers’ voluntary Offseason Training Activities, spending the time on vacation in Hawaii with fiancee Shailene Woodley.

So the rumors and speculation begin in earnest now.

---Will the Packers trade Rodgers?

---What could the Packers get in return for Rodgers? One first-round draft pick and an established player? Two first-round picks? Three?

---Who would be the Packers quarterback in 2021 if Rodgers is gone, and how good would Green Bay without the reigning MVP? Jordan Love? Blake Bortles? Someone else the Packers will acquire?

---Would Rodgers be willing to sit out preseason camp and absorb the fines if he is not traded or released?

---Would Rodgers sit out regular-season games if the Packers don’t move him?

---If Rodgers is traded, would he automatically make his new team a Super Bowl contender? Tom Brady turned the Buccaneers from a 7-9 team in 2019 to a Super Bowl champ this past season.

---Will Rodgers become the first player in NFL history to play for another team the year after being named the league MVP. Norm Van Brocklin and Jim Brown are the only two MVPs who did not play for the same team the following season, but that was because both retired after their MVP seasons.

To be clear, this so-called June 1 date of reckoning does not mean a trade is likely to happen on June 2. It fact it probably won't.  It just means that if the Packers have any thoughts of trading Rodgers, they could begin the long process of negotiating seriously with potential trade partners.  However, the Packers are still saying they will not trade Rodgers, and if the team remains steadfast in its stated desire to keep Rodgers, this is merely the beginning of a long waiting game.  The latter is the more likely scenario, since the Packers will want to find out just how adamant Rodgers is about his desire to play elsewhere. So be prepared for a long waiting period.

The possible trade speculation is focusing the Denver Broncos, who have acquired two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the past. They got John Elway in trade with the Baltimore Colts, after the Colts took Elway with the No. 1 pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. The Broncos also got Peyton Manning in a free-agent signing after he was released by the Indianapolis Colts. Elway and Peyton both led Denver to Super Bowl victories.

Currently Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater are competing for the starting quarterback job in Denver.

The Broncos are one of three teams Rodgers has said he would like to be traded to, the other two being the 49ers and Raiders. All three teams are in the West, a little closer to Northern California, where Rodgers grew up. However, Rodgers does not have a no-trade clause in his contract so he has no official say on which team can acquire him.

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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