Broncos S Justin Simmons on Aaron Rodgers Trade: 'If It Happens, It Happens'
On Monday, Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons held a fan-oriented Q&A for Bleacher Report and was pressed on a variety of topics.
Including Aaron Rodgers.
Asked about Rodgers supposedly wanting to quarterback the Broncos, prompting increasing trade speculation, Simmons demurred to the team's starting competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater.
"Yea, that's obviously the elephant in the room," Simmons said of the Rodgers rumors. "Every Broncos player has been asked. I always say that obviously AR is AR. He's a HOF type of QB. You know what he's gonna bring to any team he goes to.
"I never like focusing on the what ifs. If it happens, it happens.
"But I don't like playing on the what ifs. Right now, Drew Lock and Teddy are our guys going into the season. I want to make sure that they know I'm rolling with them, and I got their back. I'm confident in what they can do for our team."
Simmons is correct in that nearly every Broncos player — even Lock and Bridgewater — has been needled this offseason on the possibility of playing alongside the reigning NFL MVP. And his answer was similar to how, specifically, running back Melvin Gordon handled the query.
"My Wisconsin people are going to be hurt if Aaron Rodgers leaves, and I hate to see them sad," Gordon said last month on the Jim Rome Show. "With that going on, it's just crazy. I don't want to speak too much on Aaron Rodgers because we got the competition between Drew Lock and Teddy. But it would be a disservice for a lot of fans to not see Aaron Rodgers play this year — regardless of what team he's on — and I'm sure that a lot of people turned on the TV because of him."
Earlier this week, Bleacher Report proposed the Broncos surrender a 2022 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round selection, and a 2023 first-rounder in exchange for the disgruntled Packers superstar.
It was subsequently reported that Rodgers may opt out of the 2021 season by the league's July 2 deadline, saving himself $18.3 million he otherwise stands to lose by continuing to no-show into the fall.
And on it goes.
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