Wilson Trade Hints at Potential Haul for Rodgers

The Denver Broncos gave up a king's ransom to acquire Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks. Potentially, the Green Bay Packers could have gotten a similar return for Aaron Rodgers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Denver Broncos wanted Aaron Rodgers. Instead, they got Russell Wilson.

Not long after Rodgers announced via The Pat McAfee Show that he will return for an 18th season with the Green Bay Packers, the Broncos acquired Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in one of the big trades in NFL history.

The trade will be made official at the start of the league-year on March 16.

According to reports, the Broncos are getting Wilson and a fourth-round pick from Seattle in exchange for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round choice, young tight end Noah Fant, veteran defensive tackle Shelby Harris and quarterback Drew Lock.

It’s a massive haul, highlighted by the No. 9 pick of April’s draft, which should provide the Seahawks a centerpiece player to help jump-start their rebuild. Fant, the 20th pick of the 2019 draft, is coming off back-to-back seasons of 60-plus receptions. The Packers thought highly of Lock in the 2019 draft. The 30-year-old Harris, a Milwaukee native, has started 43 games and recorded 14.5 sacks the past three seasons.

That’s a king’s ransom, which begs this question:

Should Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst have taken that deal if it were offered by his Denver counterpart, George Paton?

It’s unknown whether the Broncos even made an offer for Rodgers. And if they did, it might not have been the same terms. Wilson is five years younger than Rodgers and won’t be contemplating retirement anytime soon. Plus, Wilson is significantly less expensive with cap charges of $24 million in 2022 and $27 million in 2023. On the other hand, Rodgers is coming off back-to-back MVP seasons and obviously knows new coach Nathaniel Hackett’s offense forward and backward.

One high-ranking team executive, who is on the fast track toward becoming a general manager, said that would not have been enough to trade Rodgers.

“To me, it’s three 1s,” he said.

Mike Tannenbaum, the former NFL general manager who operates The 33rd Team, also said he would take Rodgers over draft picks.

Here is what you said:

The Broncos gave up two 1s, two 2s, TE Noah Fant, DT Shelby Harris and QB Drew Lock to get Russell Wilson. Let's say that was the deal for #Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. Are you ..

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 8, 2022

A great quarterback costs a lot of money. At the same time, a great quarterback is priceless. There’s a reason why the Rams acquired Matthew Stafford. And the Buccaneers added Tom Brady. Great quarterbacks give their team a chance to win the Super Bowl every year. No number of draft picks are going to turn Lock or Jordan Love into Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.

“You either have a franchise QB, or you don’t. And if you don’t, none of the other pieces matter much in the end,” said Erik Burkhardt, the agent for Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.

Is it possible to win a Super Bowl without a great quarterback? Yes. Nick Foles replaced MVP front-runner Carson Wentz and led the Eagles past the Brady-led Patriots in 2017. Joe Flacco led the Ravens to a Super Bowl win in 2012. But those are exceptions. Over the past 30 years, it could be argued 26 of Super Bowls will have been won by quarterbacks who will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Yes, Rodgers has fallen short in every playoff since winning the Super Bowl in 2010. He did not play well enough to beat San Francisco in 2019 NFC Championship Game, Tampa Bay in the 2020 NFC Championship Game or San Francisco in the 2021 divisional round. It’s not all Rodgers’ fault, though. The run defense was demolished by the Niners in 2019. Kevin King was destroyed by Brady in 2020. The special teams were trounced by the 49ers in 2021. It’s hard to win a Super Bowl and a lot of things have to come into focus.

Gutekunst has built a Super Bowl-caliber team. The legendary Brady has shown a great quarterback can author a new chapter late in his career. If Rodgers plays a little better, and the rest of the team plays a little better, Titletown could be a title town once again.

And that’s why Gutekunst, when asked before the Scouting Combine about the potential haul he could gain for trading Rodgers, quickly dismissed the idea.

“I think we’ve got as good a shot as anybody to win a Super Bowl next year,” he said. “He’s the MVP of the league. That’s our goal. I think we have an opportunity to do it right now. That’s why.”