Peter King: Broncos 'Perfect Team' for Aaron Rodgers in 2022
Buried toward the bottom of Peter King's latest Football Morning in America column is a fascinating nugget pertaining to the Denver Broncos, who may or may not be in the market for a new quarterback next year.
Coinciding with his belief that Aaron Rodgers is likely to leave the Green Bay Packers in 2022, King trumpeted the Broncos as the "perfect team" to eventually acquire the future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, among several other NFC-based (and thus disadvantaged) suitors.
"Denver is such a perfect team for Rodgers in 2022. I’m sure Carolina and Philadelphia and Washington will enter the fray if/when Green Bay trades him, but sending him to the AFC minimizes the rematches which I’m sure the Packers would want to avoid at all costs," King wrote.
Rodgers and Denver were tightly connected this offseason, with repeated speculation indicating the reigning NFL MVP, disgruntled by Green Bay's front-office management, preferred to land in the Mile High City.
The blockbuster-that-never-was reached a fever pitch during April's draft — "as close to a done deal as it can be" — but slowly fizzled over the following months, culminating in an assuaged Rodgers returning to Cheesehead Land for the 2021 season and the Broncos moving forward with its well-intended QB competition between Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater.
Speaking on the eve of training camp, Broncos general manager George Paton wouldn't confirm the team's rumored interest in Rodgers. But he didn't deny it, either.
“I can’t comment on the player. He's with another team. I would just say—as I've said before—we monitor every situation," Paton said on July 27. "We're going to have a pulse on every situation. If a player is available that we covet, we're going to be aggressive and try to get him. I can’t comment on that situation.”
Bear in mind: Denver reportedly grew "leery" about the cost of trading for Rodgers, who could command multiple first-round picks on top of a foundational player. Paton has stated he'll be aggressive rather than reckless with respect to roster-building, and selling the proverbial farm for a 38-year-old runs counter to that ethos.
Something to file away until March.
Or — depending on how "Lockwater" looks — sooner.
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