The Calm Before the Storm

FEATURE

The Calm Before the Storm

Mar 02, 2023

As of the time of my writing this (Wednesday, March 1) there are exactly two weeks to go until the league new year and free agency begins, with the "legal tampering" window opening two days before that.

There's not a whole lot of Packer news to cover at the moment, because we won't really see any transactions until that time.

But of course, the entire Packer fandom and the NFL world at large are waiting to see what happens with Aaron Charles Rodgers, who is likely days away from making some sort of announcement about his future. It would be quite surprising to this observer if Rodgers would carry his decision making process over into the NFL new year; he has too much respect for the business and franchise to hold the team hostage in such a way, and whether he makes the decision in January or in early March really makes no difference logistically.

This isn't going to be yet another article full of speculation about what may or may not happen with Rodgers, bur rather just a quick note to remark on just how many dominos may fall depending on Rodgers' decision. in some ways, Rodgers' fate with Green Bay could influence some major decisions made by other franchises.

First, consider the various quarterback-needy franchises out there that would love to get their hands on Rodgers. Rodgers has most frequently been tied to would-be suitors such as the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets, but there are other teams that could find themselves actively searching for a quarterback as well, especially if Rodgers truly becomes available via trade (consider the New England Patriots or Indianapolis Colts, for example).

Over the last several days, we've seen the Raiders' castoff quarterback, Derek Carr, start making the rounds with some teams. It was announced he would be in Indianapolis over the combine to meet with representatives from several teams while he was there.

At the moment, Carr would rank as easily the most attractive quarterback who is guaranteed to be available. But if Rodgers becomes available, as he may very well do, that would almost certainly impact Carr's value and suitors. So while Carr is conducting these visits, he has to know he's going to be playing second fiddle to Rodgers, and that many of these teams are going to want to wait and see whether the Packers truly end up deciding to trade the future hall of famer.

If the Packers would trade Rodgers to a team other than the Raiders, that ends up being one less potential landing spot for Carr, and there could end up being a larger dollar race to go after him between the remaining qb-needy teams. Then, of course, there are other quarterbacks' fates who could be affected, likely most notably that of Jimmy Garoppolo, who will almost certainly not be back in San Francisco.

There is also the issue of Rodgers' contract and its potential influence on additional team spending. Teams may be attempting to stash cap space to make a run at Rodgers, which will dramatically affect their ability to bring in other free agents. if Rodgers' decision comes later than expected, teams that hope to have a shot at him may be slow to go after other big-name free agents in the early days of free agency. This could result in some organizations missing out on both Rodgers and other top-end names in the early part of the league new year.

As Packer fans, we have understandably been focused on how the Packers' and Rodgers' decisions will impact the future of the green and gold. But what's going to be equally fascinating is how Rodgers' fate influences the movement of cash, picks and players around the league on other teams as well.

So enjoy the remaining calm, because the storm is coming.

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Tim Backes is a lifelong Packer fan and a contributor to CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter @timbackes for his Packer takes, random musings and Untappd beer check-ins.

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Comments (188)

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NickPerry

March 02, 2023 at 06:10 am

"So enjoy the remaining calm, because the storm is coming."

Really? God I hope so Tim, I really, really hope so. Matter of fact I'm SO ready for the storm I can hardly think of anything else when it comes to the Packers. Then again, that's EXACTLY what Rodgers wants. He's in control.

Well this is one very, VERY, loyal Packers fan who hopes the storm brings hail, sleet, rain, and snow! BRING IT ON! I'm tired of the shows in-between the storms.

3 replies + - | show all | hide all

Rebecca

March 02, 2023 at 03:42 pm

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