SAN FRANCISCO — Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers repeatedly said he wants to play the 2023 season as a member of the New York Jets, but the days continue to go by without a trade between the Jets and Packers.
The expectation remains that Rodgers will end up in the Big Apple, but there is momentum to the idea that the San Francisco 49ers could slide into the conversation – and they have the cap flexibility to make this work if Kyle Shanahan and owner Jed York are willing to do so.
Kyle Crabbs and Joe Marino of the Locked on NFL Scouting podcast discussed San Francisco’s reported interest in getting involved in the Rodgers race, and how Rodgers himself might feel about these two potential destinations.
“Would Rodgers rather go to the Jets or the 49ers?” Marino pondered. “He played his college ball at Cal, he prefers the west coast, seems like that’d probably be pretty attractive to him.”
Rodgers has said in the past he wants San Francisco to pay for not selecting him in the 2005 NFL draft, but if that is no longer a sticking point it would make sense for the 39-year-old to play out his final year(s) with a team full of talent at nearly every single position.
The 49ers reportedly would be willing to part with a pair of third round picks this year as well as a first round pick in 2024, and they can reshuffle some cap situations in order to accommodate the significant cap hit bringing Rodgers back to the Bay would accrue.
For more on the longstanding Rodgers saga, keep up to date with Locked on Packers and the Locked on NFL podcasts.