How the Packers Built the 2010 Super Bowl-Winning Roster
The Packers built a strong roster in the last year of the old CBA, without rookie-scale contracts
Twelve years ago, the Green Bay Packers won their most recent Super Bowl title beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Arlington, Texas. It was a great time to be a Packer fan.
Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers was 27 years old, the roster had plenty of talent on both sides of the ball and a dynasty seemed realistic. Even though Green Bay hasn't come back to the big game since, it's still valid to understand how that roster was built.
12 years ago today, #12 and the @Packers won #SBXLV! (via @NFLLegacy) pic.twitter.com/eWIOQN6ZNV
— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2023
Not many 1st-round picks starting
While there's a fair notion that Ted Thompson built his rosters almost exclusively through the draft, the 2010 team didn't have many 1st-rounders starting in the Super Bowl. Only Aaron Rodgers, BJ Raji, Clay Matthews, and AJ Hawk were drafted by the Packers in the first-round. Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga was a rookie 1st-rounder, but he backed up Mark Tauscher.
Pre-Ted Thompson players
Rodgers was the first player drafted by Thompson, but the quarterback wasn't the longest-tenured player on the team. WR Donald Driver, LT Chad Clifton, and RT Mark Tauscher were drafted by legendary general manager Ron Wolf, while C Scott Wells and DE Cullen Jenkins were acquired during Mike Sherman's stint as the head coach and GM.
Aaron Rodgers' salary
The 2010 season was uncapped because it was the last year of the old CBA, and there were severe labor issues underway that would culminate in the 2011 lockout. Either way, teams were told not to allocate extra money in the 2010 cap sheet to free up space for other years — the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins did that and were later punished by the league. So, it's possible to have a baseline. Let's work with the approximate number of $ 121.5 million, the average between the cap numbers of 2009 and 2011.
Coming off his first extension, Aaron Rodgers would have had a 6.5M cap hit in 2010, or around 5.35% of the salary cap. In 2023, even kicking the can down the road and leaving a lot of dead money projected for future years, Rodgers' cap hit would be 14.05% of the salary cap. By that time, the highest cap hits by the Packers were meant to be safety Nick Collins ($ 10.95 million), defensive end Ryan Pickett ($ 8.4 million), and cornerback Charles Woodson ($ 8.4 million).
Investment in offensive weapons
Even though Ted Thompson used two first-round picks in 2009 to get two defensive players (BJ Raji and Clay Matthews), the Packers also invested in offensive pieces to surround Aaron Rodgers with talent. Wide receivers Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson, who combined for three receiving touchdowns in the Super Bowl, were second-round picks. James Jones was a third-rounder. Tight end Jermichael Finley was also a third-round pick, but he finished the season on IR, and free agent addition Donald Lee was the starter.
Other avenues
Ted Thompson became more conservative as the time went on, but he was very active to find players through different avenues in the early part of his tenure as the Packers general manager. From that Super Bowl-winning team, the biggest example is obviously Charles Woodson, an unrestricted free agent signing. But they also added fellow UFA Ryan Pickett, street free agent Donald Lee, and claimed Charlie Peprah off waivers from the New York Giants and Jarrett Bush from the Carolina Panthers. More backups, like Howard Green, Rob Francois, Matt Wilhelm, Erik Walden, Anthony Smith, and Brandon Chillar were also acquired in free agency to build depth.
Undrafted free agents
The Packers were really good at finding raw players, and the 2010 roster had four undrafted free agents, including two starters (DE Cullen Jenkins and LB Frank Zombo), one rotational starter (CB Sam Shields), and one backup (G Nick McDonald). Plus, Tramon Williams arrived in Green Bay as an undrafted rookie after a brief stint with the Houston Texans.
Draft and development
Ted Thompson's philosophy of developing intern players paid off hugely for the Packers in that era. Several backup players in the Super Bowl ended up being important starters in the following years: Jordy Nelson (he was the fourth WR on the depth chart, even though he played a pretty significant role), James Jones, TJ Lang, Bryan Bulaga, Andrew Quarless, John Kuhn, and Sam Shields.
Stars
The Packers finished that season with only three starting Pro Bowlers: Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, and Nick Collins. Later, Chad Clifton, Greg Jennings, and Tramon Williams were added to the Pro Bowl rosters as replacements. Aaron Rodgers, however, was named the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Year, and Bryan Bulaga was selected to the All-Rookie Team.
It was not a perfect season for the Packers, who started the year at 3-3 after six weeks. However, they won their last two regular season games, against the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, to secure a wild card spot. In the playoffs, with better health, they beat the third-seed Philadelphia Eagles, first-seed Atlanta Falcons, and second-seed Chicago Bears to reach the Super Bowl. In the final game, they won against the AFC second-seed Pittsburgh Steelers. Versatility, willingness to find players in the margins, and important draft home runs were the base for a roster that made history for the Green Bay Packers.
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Wendell Ferreira covers the Green Bay Packers for Zone Coverage and Cheesehead TV. He is a Brazilian journalist with over a decade of experience covering the NFL, soccer, NBA, and MMA. Follow him on twitter at @wendellfp
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Comments (58)
KenEllis
February 07, 2023 at 10:32 am
2010 is a LONG TIME AGO in NFL years.
Perhaps it is time for the Packers and the press who cover the team to begin looking at how teams that have actually made it to Super Bowls over the past 12 years have constructed their rosters.
For instance, Philly traded for starting WR AJ Brown, CB Darius Slay, and Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson among others.
KC traded for staring LT O. Brown, DE Frank Clark, and for WR Kadarious Toney.
The Rams made many trades for players in winning last year's Super Bowl. The Bucs traded for Jason Pierre-Paul and Gronk when they won two years ago.
Can any Packer fan recall the last time the Packers traded a round 1-5 draft pick for a player? Anyone?
HarryHodag
February 07, 2023 at 02:10 pm
They traded picks in the draft to get Jordan Love, but that's about it. You need the cap space to acquire picks. This is where the Packers went off the road. They've paid a lot of money to keep their own. Are their own good enough to win it all?
Ted Thompson's greatest flaw was also his greatest asset as wrong as that sounds. He correctly saw that paying aging vets leads the team into the Twilight Zone of cap hell, especially if they get hurt or are ineffective. His theory was to draft well, pay them their first contract then let them walk if they wanted too much money for the second contract. This philosophy gives the team flexibility with the salary cap but it hinders championship play because you often have one of the youngest teams. He also ignored depth, especially on special teams. Thompson did sign some vets from other teams. Charles Woodson comes to mind.
But if I had my druthers I would prefer a team of over achieving youth compared to under achieving(and high paid) vets.
dobber
February 07, 2023 at 07:35 pm
TTs MO never evolved with successive CBAs and the restriction of rookie salaries. He was still managing with a 2007 mindset in 2011 and beyond.
Bitternotsour
February 07, 2023 at 08:15 pm
and the team was still successful. he got hurt significantly by Nick Collins injury. The team never recovered, likely hall of fame safeties sadly don't grow on trees. even then, if Bostic does his job, we win that super bowl.
jannesbjornson
February 08, 2023 at 02:53 pm
Keeping guys like Nick Perry worked?
Leatherhead
February 07, 2023 at 09:08 pm
""Can any Packer fan recall the last time the Packers traded a round 1-5 draft pick for a player? Anyone?"""
John Hadl.
We also gave up a 2nd for Al Harris.
croatpackfan
February 07, 2023 at 11:09 am
This is interesting question. You can learn from past, that is sure, but you have to be very careful if you are learning what you did good. There is several reasons why repeating something that worked in past might not work in the present or future. But if you can see what you did wrong and have knowledge how to fix it, you may profit from that.
First, NFL rules are changing constantly, so something that work in the past does not mean that will be working today. UFAs might not play at expected level or they would not be able to suits teams need well. Players salaries went through the roof and it is not easy to include additional salaries of very good UFAs to your SC. Than, there is the question of refereeing today. Connected with more and more new rules or more changing rules that was existing earlier.
I believe the best way how you can improve your level is self scouting. But it must be honest and deep. What we are doing wrong, who is responsible for what mistake, how we can fix that, what road we should follow in the future and what are the methods to achieve improvement from previous time.
As I wrote, it is not just simple. NFL changed radically from 2010. Old methods that would work in 2023 are rare and not enough.
splitpea1
February 07, 2023 at 11:17 am
Bulaga started 12 regular season games and all four playoff games in 2010.
Cullen Jenkins was signed by Sherman.
I think Ted's model works fine for teams that are in the beginning and intermediate stages of rebuilding. But once you've established yourself as a contender, you need to transition from "draft and develop" to acquiring/drafting players with higher floors that can get on the field and make an impact without years of grooming. That certainly includes short-term signings of castoffs with interesting "personalities" that may prove to be a deciding factor in the playoffs, something the Packers tend to shy away from for some inexplicable reason.
jannesbjornson
February 07, 2023 at 11:47 am
Remember, Ted didn't resign Cullen Jenkins and the 15-1 went one and done...
Untylu1968
February 07, 2023 at 12:32 pm
Easy now! Jenkins was a nice player, but to say, 15-1 to one and done, because of that loss? Just think how many Superbowls we'd have if we would have only resigned Mike Daniels...
Bitternotsour
February 07, 2023 at 01:12 pm
mike daniels. nice.
egbertsouse
February 07, 2023 at 12:03 pm
Ancient history. Let’s look at how KC and the Eagles and SF do it . I don’t care how Curly Lambeau built those championship rosters in the ‘30s.
Leatherhead
February 07, 2023 at 12:49 pm
They have very good offenses built around very good, young, QBs. They outscore teams.
We should get a good, young QB, and build an offense around him, and try to outscore teams.
PackyCheese500
February 07, 2023 at 02:00 pm
Do you know why the chiefs are better this year then last? Their defense that is 2nd in the league in sacks. They traded away their second best offensive weapon (to Kelce) to the Dolphins, and drafted three defenders in the first two rounds, including with both first round picks. Complimentary football is what wins games, as the Eagles and Chiefs have shown
If you only prioritize offense and try to out score teams, you will end up like the Vikings, good in the regular season but one and done when it counts
Leatherhead
February 07, 2023 at 03:04 pm
You know why the Chiefs get so many sacks? Because they score so many points, you have to throw to catch up. They had 619 passes thrown on them this season, 3rd most in the league. The Packers had the fewest, at 478.
PackyCheese500
February 07, 2023 at 04:26 pm
That's because the Packers' run defense is so mushy even if a team is down by 10 they don't need to pass it!
MooPack
February 07, 2023 at 06:01 pm
.
Leatherhead
February 07, 2023 at 07:59 pm
Yeah, you shouldn't have doubled down on that, because the facts are against you on this. KC is in the Super Bowl because they're #1 in offense, not because they are an average defense.
KC gave up 369 points last year, and we gave up 371. 16th and 17 place.
In addition, KC's defense gave up more passing yards, in more attempts, for more TDs, than just about any team in the league. They gave up 33 passing TDs, worst in the league by 4.
So, tell me again how it's defense winning Championships, when it's the two best offenses in the league in the Super Bowl. Tell me that KC is there because they get lots of sacks, and not because teams are behind and trying to play catch up.
This is a clear sign that offense rules the NFL, and if you have a team that can score on over 40% of their possessions it puts you in the driver's seat.
Bitternotsour
February 07, 2023 at 08:17 pm
more likely it's because the packers offense sucked balls.
Leatherhead
February 08, 2023 at 10:37 am
How many games this year did we lose a 10 point lead?
jannesbjornson
February 09, 2023 at 08:04 am
KC with 55 sacks, Pack with 34. Can't get off the field on third down.
Leatherhead
February 07, 2023 at 12:48 pm
A good, young, QB. A very good defense. That's how it was built.
Remember, we had a poor run game that year for most of the season, but we had Jennings and Driver and Jones and Jordy and we threw it.
Bitternotsour
February 07, 2023 at 01:17 pm
McCarthy used the assets he had. We went 5 wide, we destroyed teams with the offense.
Also, the revisionist comments above. We did more than win that one super bowl with Thompson. That team was always in the mix. Always dangerous in the playoffs. If Nick Collins hadn't been injured (still haven't had a safety at that level) there would have been more trophies I'm sure. Losing Collins was like losing Aaron Rodgers.
Also, there was the Bostic debacle. That team was going to win it all.
PhantomII
February 07, 2023 at 08:50 pm
4 Super Duper WR's....Those were the days.... AR could look L/R or down the middle and we had a legit WR.
Heyward
February 07, 2023 at 01:17 pm
Early Ted was far superior to Gutekunst.
croatpackfan
February 07, 2023 at 03:43 pm
I agree on your comparison, but, Ted Thompson was true GM. Brian Gutekunst does not have his authorities. So it likes you are just trying to compare apples with peaches.
Johnblood27
February 07, 2023 at 01:59 pm
Sherman could have won it all in the 4th and 26 year too.
Donatell took that fall, but that team with Ahman Green running behind U-Bacon should have gone for the first down on 4th and 1.
What could have been...
A way too familiar refrain in Packerland...
jannesbjornson
February 07, 2023 at 02:29 pm
Sherman called Off the blitz and let McNabb sit and buy time. The loss was on sherman.
Leatherhead
February 07, 2023 at 04:15 pm
No, the loss was on Favre. Despite a great performance by Ahman Green, and a defense that sacked McNabb 8 times, we couldn't put enough points on the board. Even AFTER the 4th and 26, we had a chance to win, and we didn't. Then Favre just puckered up the first time he touched the ball in overtime and threw an up-for-grabs, season-ending interception. Not the only time.
Favre was terrible that day, especially after the first quarter.
jannesbjornson
February 08, 2023 at 02:58 pm
Sherman did not attempt the FG. He Punted back to give Philly the MO.
MainePackFan
February 07, 2023 at 06:43 pm
You had to bring that up? Don't we have enough on our plate?
PackyCheese500
February 07, 2023 at 02:05 pm
Complimentary football, or excellence in all three phases of the game, is how Championships are won. In my opinion, the draft and develop strategy is excellent in the early stages of a rebuild, but when you’ve established yourself as a contender, you cannot be afraid to go all in. Look at the trades the Eagles made for AJ Brown and CJGJ and the free agent signings of Haason Reddick and James Bradberry.
When you have established yourself as a contender or have a good, young, cheap core of players from drafting and developing, don’t be afraid to go all in, and spend all draft picks on trying to make the present team better. That is why we did not win a championship in 20 or 21 - we had one foot in the present and one in the future. We never committed.
I believe that now, however, is the time to rebuild, draft, and develop. We don’t have the cap apparatus or the personnel to be a contender for a SB.
On another note, I was doing some draft scouting and came across an Edge rusher I really like, Zach Harrison of Ohio St. He has great speed for a 280 lb guy and has IMMENSE power. He also strips the QB often, and it’s like he causes a turnover every time he touches the ball. To me, has Rashan Gary like potential. However, I don’t know if he would fit best in the 3-4 as an OLB or as a DE. What do you think?
PhantomII
February 07, 2023 at 08:59 pm
I don't think both edges have to be OLB's. For instance you could have this 280 lb guy and Clark next to him...Not likely both get blocked and pressure the QB on pass down or move him inside like Z used to. It would not hurt to have options in order to shut down a hard running team or pressure a QB.
PackyCheese500
February 07, 2023 at 10:25 pm
I almost think that if he bulked up he could become a dominant 3-4 DE an the next level. He is sometimes stiff, but his raw power is unrivaled. Maybe he could occasionally shift outside?
jannesbjornson
February 08, 2023 at 03:04 pm
Harrison at 270lbs doesn't need to bulk up. He is at a perfect weight to get his first steps fast and use his upper body strength the shed and strip. You don't waste his talent getting tied up, but he can go up or down giving a smart defense the flexibility of a 4-2 to 6-1 looks. Barry would still be clueless. Hopefully, they let Jerry Montgomery run his group free of interference.
PackyCheese500
February 08, 2023 at 09:22 pm
For a 4-tech would he need to though?
DoubleJ
February 07, 2023 at 02:18 pm
"Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga was a rookie 1st-rounder, but he backed up Mark Tauscher."
Bryan Bulaga 100% was a starter. Tauscher went down in week 4 with a shoulder injury and was placed on IR in November.
jannesbjornson
February 07, 2023 at 02:31 pm
Always have blue chips at the OT spots.
T7Steve
February 07, 2023 at 03:09 pm
That's why I was so happy with the Tony Mandarich pick. LOL. Wish that would have worked.
MainePackFan
February 07, 2023 at 06:47 pm
Nothing was working back then.
LeotisHarris
February 07, 2023 at 02:41 pm
Oooooooooooookay, you guys. I peacefully entered this comment section only to take a Bostic body shot, and then be dropped by a 4th and 26 left hook. That's enough looking in the rearview for today, thank you very much.
MainePackFan
February 07, 2023 at 06:49 pm
lol. You're pretty good at this ; ) Jump in, throw a zinger...check back later. Love it :)
Johnblood27
February 08, 2023 at 08:08 am
...and for the KO... how about a coaches son's funeral right before a 15-1 team has a playoff game?
jont
February 07, 2023 at 03:14 pm
It seems there are several ways to build a good roster. No matter which a team takes, the bottom line is always the same: your GM needs to be a star in evaluating talent. You can't draft & develop if there's no talent to develop. Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson were star GMs.
Bitternotsour
February 07, 2023 at 08:21 pm
you also need a coach who is capable of developing talent. show me where that exists with LaFleur. Seems to me that Gutekunst is top five in talent ID. Sadly, he doesn't run the football operation, he's depending on a clearly overmatched Mark Murphy.
crayzpackfan
February 07, 2023 at 03:32 pm
God I love reading through all of these posts. I just wanna put forth one very simple question with a small bit of setup.
Everyone here volley's back and forth about GM's doing this or not doing that in terms of drafts and FA's, I just want to simply ask one question. We have had 30 years of HOF QB's and only 3 SB appearances with two titles.
Since Holmgren, do you ever wonder if perhaps we just haven't had the best of coaches since? It just seems like our QB's, since after Holmgren left, have elevated the coaching, while our coaching did absolutely nothing to elevate anything or anyone else. The coaches were just collecting more wins than losses, not winning big games, and not winning titles.
Where does that blame lie? What should happen so this doesn't continue? How do we get another Ron Wolfe and Mike Holmgren?
LeotisHarris
February 07, 2023 at 04:43 pm
Mistakes were made, for sure, and we all live with the what ifs.
When Dan Marino retired, I wonder if the Dolphins brass came together and said "well, we've had 17 years of a future HOF QB coached by two legends, and we have ZERO Lombardi trophies to show for it. What can we do to make sure this never happens again?" After an uncomfortably long pause, I guess someone said, "Over the next 20 years we need new HC blood to jumpstart the quest for a Super Bowl. Let's hire Dave Wannstedt, Jim Bates, Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, Tony Sparano, Todd Bowles, Joe Philbin, Dan Campbell, Adam Gase, Brian Flores, and Mike McDaniel." I guess there was a smattering of applause.
PhantomII
February 07, 2023 at 09:12 pm
This trade deadline we needed a #1 WR Minimum...and honestly a #2 WR also. Gute did nothing monetarily or with draft picks. We needed Moore and another player. I know Watson will get there in 1-2 years and that's fine for Love, but that's not 2022-23. This is the single biggest problem with Gute. Draft picks are his fix...and it's all ego related otherwise he'd send a 1 and 4 for Moore or whatever...Our OL was finally getting healthy. We didn't have the offensive firepower to even get past Detroit. Jones is our only real weapon on offense and ML doesn't even use him enough in the passing game without DA a whole year. Yes our Coaching is subpar and our organization relatively cheap or we'd have a great HC to go with our great History and our GM would be making deals instead of calls.
Lphill
February 07, 2023 at 04:28 pm
Eagles 2 appearances in 5 years with different Q B’s and coaches, that’s a good front office.plus the team has an owner that would have fired Joe Barry already .
Bitternotsour
February 07, 2023 at 08:24 pm
none of this lands on Joe Barry. It lands on the guy who hired him. It also lands on the guy who hired MLF, Mark Murphy.
Joe Barry is a symptom of the illnes, the cancer runs much deeper.
PhantomII
February 08, 2023 at 08:02 pm
I would agree if they kept their 1st super bowl coach. They put together a real tough OL and DL.
Swisch
February 07, 2023 at 04:38 pm
It was a true pleasure yesterday (thanks to DVR) to escape back in time to the last Super Bowl title from the Packers on a highlight show aired on the NFL Channel.
What a great game!!!
My impression is that Greg Jennings was deserving of the co-MVP of that great win against the Steelers, not only for huge receptions, but also for his work on the sidelines analyzing the defense and rallying the troops. I would guess he was a big help to a young quarterback in Aaron Rodgers by boosting his confidence.
That's not to downplay Rodgers, who was at his wondrous best, including at least a couple of key pinpoint throws to Jennings among his mastery, even majesty.
I miss the Aaron Rodgers of that time as a player and a person. I'm guessing he was much more one of the guys at that time, much more agreeable and coachable and cooperative.
***
As the program was ending, and Rodgers was accepting the MVP Trophy, my wife was walking downstairs and remarked at how much different he looked to her.
Her observation seemed to be that Rodgers has aged in such a way that suggests he may be struggling with depression, that the sight of him at his pinnacle of glory compared to his current visage is a matter of concern for her, in that he looks older than his years. She went from being annoyed with him to being sad for him.
***
I don't know, but I'm concerned, too. My theory is that Rodgers is impatient with the hard work of practice and film study that goes into being a top quarterback in the NFL. He's become domineering even as he is less dedicated.
Meanwhile, he seems desperate to find happiness somehow, someway, perhaps with someone -- but without realizing satisfaction.
***
Watching this great triumph of the Rodgers-led Packers has me sad that Rodger has not been able to do it again after all these seasons past, with seemingly good opportunities left unfulfilled. My sense of things is that Rodgers bears some of the blame, although it's hard to assess the extent.
I would be so glad to see Rodgers go out on top with the Packers, while at the same time not wanting him to drag the Packers down.
Life is bittersweet, conflicting, poignant. Yet, as long as we have breath, there's still time for happy endings of various kinds. I truly hope that for Aaron Rodgers.
WestCoastPackerBacker
February 07, 2023 at 04:51 pm
Ryan Grant was another great pick up by Thompson, from the Giants for a 6th round pick in 2007. He would have been part of the winning squad but for an injury early in the season. He got a ring though. Same with Al Harris, trying desperately to come back from an injury that truly wrecked his knee. He got a ring, too. Happy about that.
Fun to look back at a season where everyone was disappointed but they got in as a Wild Card and ran the table. Hard to see how the talent on that squad would do against today's teams. The defense had some top players and a lot of meh. No TE to speak of once Finely got hurt. Andrew Quarless and Donald Lee split snaps during the playoff run.
Really glad Rodgers got a title early in his career, or we'd never hear the end of complaints about him. The playoff exits in recent years were not great games for him, but many of the playoff exits up til Gutey/LaFleur were due to poor defenses, poor coaching, drops, and bone-headed plays not by the QB.
MainePackFan
February 07, 2023 at 07:12 pm
IMHO, The most underappreciated part of that amazing season is what James Starks did.
MooPack
February 07, 2023 at 07:47 pm
I agree. Liked Starks a lot. Was he reckless at times, probably. To the detriment of his health, yes. But he was fearless in his running and that rubs off on other players. I believe players feed off of that "I'm going to give you my best" attitude. It's contagious.
dobber
February 07, 2023 at 07:38 pm
Raiders and Saints agree on compensation for Carr...which loads the Raiders with cap space AND adds draft capital. I'll be curious to see what the Saints gave up to not have to bid on Carr with their lack of cap space.
https://www.profootballrumors.com/2023/02/saints-to-meet-with-raiders-qb...
Leatherhead
February 07, 2023 at 10:07 pm
Interesting.
I've always liked the Raiduhs better than the Jets or the other rumored destinations. They have the money, they have the opening, they have Davante Adams.
If compensation is two first round picks, then the Raiduhs could keep their #7 pick this year, but give us #38 and #70, which would have the equivalent value of a #23 pick. And then their first rounder next year, too.
Meanwhile, back in Jersey, the Jets are all in, but what can they really offer? They have picks at #43 and #74, and they could throw in their first round next year too. They're a little lower in the draft, so they'd have to sweeten the deal to compete.
It's a tie at that point. Each team could hang onto their first round pick this year, give up mid 2nd and 3rd round picks that equal a first round pick, and next year's #1.
It is possible that we're going to get more for Rodgers than a lot of people thought we would. Do people ever overbid for a star QB? All the time, IMO. I also think that people in the front office had an idea of what his value might be now even a year ago.
After riding Rodgers for two MVPs we trade him away for a cache. We'd have gotten more for him last year...probably...but the other guy wasn't really ready yet so they gave him another year. He's ready now. Rodgers is ready to move on now. And it looks like we might get a lot more for him than a warm six pack of Pabst, too.
PackyCheese500
February 07, 2023 at 10:33 pm
I see the Jets as the best destination. They may be over the cap, but by cutting aging WR Corey Davis, OT Duane Brown, and restructuring a couple of players they can open up a lot of cap room, enough to bring in Rodgers, Bakhtiari, Lazard, Tonyan, and re-sign their important guys. Hackett being their OC helps too.
If Rodgers really wants to win another SB (as he's stated) he will want to go to the Jets. They have the defense, they have the skill-position players, and they have some pieces along the OL as well. Their roster is far superior to the Raiders, who had a barren defense that ranked 26th and don't have a very good offensive line. The Jets have said they are willing to go allin for him, and because they have lower draft picks they will have to give a sweeter deal than the Raiders to lure Rodgers Here is a trade I see happening:
Jets give: picks 13 and 43 in the 2023 draft, a conditional 2024 first-round pick (that turns into a 2nd if Rodgers retires, a 2024 5th-round pick, and TE Tyler Conklin
Packers give: QB Aaron Rodgers, LT David Bakhtiari