Washington Bandied as Aaron Rodgers Trade Suitor: 'We Can Get Him,' Says Former CB
Speaking for Washington — unofficially — former cornerback Fred Smoot feels the Football Team is an Aaron Rodgers away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
“I’m a big Aaron Rodgers guy,” Smoot said during a recent appearance on 106.7 The Fan in DC, per SI.com's Mike Fisher. “If Aaron Rodgers is on this team, with an elite defense, running game, wide receiving corps, we are a legit Super Bowl contender. We couldn’t say that for 30 years. We are legit a Super Bowl contender.”
And thus, Smoot urged, Dan Snyder and Co. should do whatever it takes to pull off a bombshell trade for the Green Bay Packers quarterback. If that entails surrendering a foundational talent? So be it.
“We have the (trade capital) to get him,” Smoot said. “I hate to say it, but you might have to part with one of them bad defensive lineman.”
Washington has not shown itself as a major player in the Rodgers sweepstakes, which purportedly consists of the Broncos — the supposed frontrunner — and Las Vegas Raiders. Head coach Ron Rivera claimed after April's NFL draft that he's "very confident" in the club's stable of signal-callers: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.
But even if Rivera weren't confident, the Packers are highly unlikely to deal Rodgers within the NFC, strengthening a foe they're scheduled to play this season. Green Bay, by contrast, will face neither the Broncos nor the Raiders in 2021.
Smoot mentioned trade ammo but failed to touch on the salary cap, critically important to a potential agreement. Rodgers is signed through 2023, carrying monstrous cap hits of $37.2 million, $39.8 million, and $28.3 million, respectively. The Broncos currently have the third-most cap space ($28.8 million) in the league; the Football Team ranks ninth ($16.6 million).
Everything is coming up Milhouse Denver.
To reiterate, if Rodgers is going anywhere this year (a major "if"), signs continue to point toward the Mile High City, not the nation's capital, as his next destination.
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