Deshaun Watson still has significant off-field issues to surmount before being in the clear to resume his career, but the embattled Texans quarterback’s deposition is not set to take place until after the 2021 season ends. This could put Watson on track to play this season, though our Rory Parks noted a Commissioner’s Exempt List stay may well enter into this equation. The Broncos were once a clear suitor for the Pro Bowl quarterback. Now, their focus has shifted. They prefer an Aaron Rodgers trade to waiting out the Watson saga, according to NFL insider John Clayton of 104.3 The Fan. Far and away the clubhouse leaders in Rodgers rumor mentions, the Broncos are planning to make an aggressive pursuit of the reigning MVP — if the Packers make him available for a trade. While Rodgers has not come out and said he wants to leave Green Bay or indicated where he would like to go, the Broncos were on his reported wish list from the start. The future Hall of Fame passer indeed wants to be traded to the Broncos, Clayton adds. Rodgers is not expected to show up for the Packers’ minicamp next month, according to Madison.com’s Jason Wilde.
Although we still appear a ways away from true trade talks, the June 1 date after which a Rodgers deal becomes less financially constraining for the Packers is approaching. Shifting to players already in the AFC, here is the latest from the conference:
- Tavon Young has become one of the NFL’s most injury-prone players, and the Ravens may have selected his heir apparent in Shaun Wade this year. The former early-round Ohio State prospect is expected to begin his career in the slot, and Young is not yet 100%. ACL tears sidelined Young for all of 2017 and 14 games last season, and he missed all of the 2019 season due to a neck ailment. Baltimore DC Don Martindale said Young has not been fully cleared from his latest round of ACL rehab, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets. Young has missed an astounding 47 games over the past four seasons. Thanks to restructuring Young’s contract, the Ravens would be tagged with more than $9MM in dead money over the next two years were they to cut the veteran corner after June 1.
- Better news may be coming out of another AFC North contender’s headquarters. Odell Beckham Jr. has resumed sprinting after suffering an ACL tear last November, and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer expects the Pro Bowl wideout to be in the Browns‘ Week 1 lineup. Beckham’s injury may have helped keep him in Cleveland, depressing the trade market for the talented wideout who has yet to truly take off with the Browns. Trade rumors have followed Beckham in Cleveland, but he is set to return at a $14.5MM salary this season.
- In more injury rehab news, the Colts had Marlon Mack back on the field this week. Mack did not participate fully in Indianapolis’ OTA sessions this week, but Stephen Holder of The Athletic notes the fifth-year running back was available for part of the voluntary workouts (subscription required). Mack sustained a torn Achilles in Week 1 last season. He re-signed with the Colts on a one-year, $2MM deal, pointing to optimism the former fourth-round pick will be ready to go to start this season.
Farve to Rodgers to Bortles, Bridgewater/Lock, Love. Yeah gonna suck for a few years in GB.
Any Packers fans enjoy the Dickey or Majkowski eras??? Welcome to your new purgatory.
Lynn Dickey was actually a pretty good QB, but the rest of the team was not. Yeah he was prone to the int, but not terrible. Majic wasn’t horrible either. Both were fun to watch, although Favre was a twice as fun to watch
But… did you enjoy the mediocre teams? My memory may be fuzzy from 30-40 years ago, but I don’t remember much playoff success.
Lynn Dickey = Kirk Cousins with a crappy D.
Always thought Majkowski was decidedly average more than outright awful. He had the bad fortune of playing right before Favre and the Packers’ defense improving with White. Not to mention the receiver acquisitions that came later. No, he wasn’t good, and I could be wrong, but Majkowski seemed not quite as bad as people seem to remember.
Remember the 80’s ‘Battle of the Bays’ TB Vs GB awful teams.
Or as Pete Axthelm used to call it, “The Bay of Pigs” game
I think for as many fans who think the world is ending, there are just as many curious to see what the team would look like with Love at the helm, 3 first round picks, a second rounder, and 2 star caliber players. None of us want this to drag out for years like it did with Favre. U either stay here and play hard for a SB, or get out and let the next guy have a crack. Very little tolerance for anything in between up here
Agreed. They (upper brass) choose that path last year. Just remember Love was 3rd string. That has weight.
One question, if Love was that well thought of, why fight to mend fences w/ Rodgers? Many articles of trying to offer him a new contract to appease him. They could have flipped him to Miami for Tua and picks right?
Right!? Why make amends with Rodgers of replacing Rodgers was already in the cards? Yes, this is happening 1-2 years sooner than expected. But it’s not that bad. That means Rodgers has more value in a trade.
As much as people think he could have been flipped, it was not financially feasible before June 1st. And just like most pre-draft talk, we don’t know what is real and what is made up. Neither Rodgers nor the Packers have said anything publicly YET. All any of us know right now is that the Packers are at least attempting to make people believe he’s not on the block. But if teams indeed knew that he was on the block, they’d be less inclined to offer everything including the kitchen sink.
They’re fighting to mend fences b/c they know Love isn’t ready. If he is ever.
Then they poorly scouted him.
I think they drafted him knowing he’d need 2 maybe 3 years on the bench.
Aaron had other ideasy
The only disagreement (maybe disagreement is not the correct word) that I have here is with the “play hard for a Super Bowl” part. The rest is true, but Rodgers has been playing hard for a championship for a while. After all, he is the last person left there who has one (except Crosby). If he can play better/harder than he did last year I would be extremely surprised, and that still wasn’t enough. This is much more an issue with the team than it is with Rodgers’ personal contributions.
‘Rodgers has not said he wants a trade…’ but ‘…the broncos have been on his list from the start..’
.
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…of the b.s. parade of craptacular “reporting” by virtually every news outlet in the country.
Wish Rodgers would state, point blank, what he wants. Super annoying.
Rodgers is a very good politician
Just gonna say this for all the Rodgers homers/Packer detractors out there. Yes, not having Rodgers at QB anymore will more than likely result in a downgrade at that position, and yes, perhaps that will cause players like Davante to search for another team with elite QB talent. But given the Packers’ massive cap conundrum currently, there is no way they can keep Rodgers and have the cap space to sign Adams, Alexander, Jenkins, etc. to the big contracts they deserve. As crazy at it sounds, seizing the opportunity to recoup as many assets in exchange for Rodgers would allow Green Bay to gain some much-needed cap breathing room now while reloading for the future.
I agree. What is try to get is first round picks 3, 4 and 5 years down the road if that’s possible. That way Rodgers will be going downhill/injured and the teams he’s on will be having salary cap issues.
Rodgers should be pissed at the CBA, not the Pack brass. The cap handcuffs a team with an elite QB to a point that a team can’t necessarily surround them with superstars KC will feel the pinch soon.
No the Chiefs won’t. They have already paid most of their guys. The don’t trade up to replace a QB they already have. They don’t waste picks on future players. They go get what they need. Big difference in GM’s.
Say, what??? It’s the CBA’s fault that Aaron Rodgers and other “elite” quarterbacks choose to get every cent they can, not leaving sufficient room to sign valuable teammates?? The salary cap, as used by the NFL and not the NBA (which allows teams to go over the cap to sign players) creates competitive balance throughout the league, so that teams in markets like Green Bay can play on par with teams from big cities. The NFL is the only league that has realized that the hard cap they employ creates interest in their league throughout the country always, instead of larger markets always and smaller markets in selective years. I have no tolerance for players like Rodgers and their cryptic “beautiful mystery” style passive aggression, whining when their team can’t load up on teammates and other stars after signing deals that choke the ability for their team to sign other players. Somehow Tom Brady in New England was able to choose to take less to help keep teammates around. Yes, he’s married to Gisele Bunchen, who makes a ton. But at what point do people decide a smaller figure is adequate while enabling their team to compete better? No, I’m not a Patriots fan, either
That’s your problem, though. You’d rather have breathing room than championships.
They could have drafted contributors instead of “depth for down the road.” They had a window open now. NFC title game appearances two years in a row. Instead of drafting a third string QB, third string HB, and third string (or fourth string?) TE with their first three picks, they could have drafted a starting receiver or ILB, both of which they needed. Or a DE, which they needed. Or a replacement for King at CB, which they kind of needed for teams with speed at WR (like the Bucs).
They were able to afford the rookie deals that they paid out to their other picks. There’s no reason that they could not have afforded the same to actual useful players. Most teams realize that they won’t be able to retain star players at the of their rookie deals, and that each pick only gives you a four year guarantee with a rookie. If you have a three year window with Rodgers, and Love spends three years on the bench, you wasted those three years of Rodgers for a guy who never even played. That’s not building for the future so much as sabotaging your present.
abilkhayr@gmail.com Surely I am not the only person who noticed the difference in the Browns offense when OBJ was out with injury. Lots of commentary about how Mayfield showed such improvement in the latter part of the season. Just making an observation.
I don’t know if you meant to leave your e-mail account on your post, but maybe you should ask a mod to remove it for you.
But I think you have a point regarding Mayfield’s connection (or lack thereof) with OBJ. Two years ago, when neither he nor Landry even bothered to work with Mayfield during the offseason, is when it became noticeable. He is still very talented as a receiver, however, and having him on the field would be valuable. He needs to spend more time developing a connection with his QB, however. Landry seems to have done so as of last year, and had a noticeably better season.
Of course, there is the huge caveat here that Stefanski just took over. Between better offensive scheming, greater experience from Mayfield, and the more professional atmosphere in the locker room, OBJ could have a good season next year himself.