Aaron Rodgers trade rumors are back but the NY Giants must stay away

The NFL rumor mill never stops. After being engrossed in Odell Beckham Jr. related rumors for the better part of the last two months, the Giants are now being linked to an even bigger superstar once again.

Thanks to a disastrous 4-8 start to the season, the Green Bay Packers have begun thinking about the future, and that future may not include Aaron Rodgers. Against the Eagles, Rodgers was knocked out of the Packers game in Philly due to injury, and his backup Jordan Love stepped in and played the best football of his young career.

That performance by Love has led to speculation that this may finally be the offseason Rodgers is dealt to a new team. That team just better not by the New York Football Giants.

https://twitter.com/KenIngalls/status/1597314376675258368

Aaron Rodgers’ contract would be a nightmare for the NY Giants

There is no doubt Rodgers is a significant quarterback upgrade over Daniel Jones or any other quarterback available on the market this offseason, but entering the Rodgers sweepstakes has significant drawbacks.

For starters, Rodgers’ contract is massive. Last offseason, Rodgers signed a huge deal that will likely keep him on the books through 2025. Next season, Rodgers has a cap hit that is just under $32 million, but his dead cap hit is just under $100 million. His contract only gets steeper every progressive season, with cap hits of $40 million in 2024, $59 million in 2025, and $53 million in 2026 (if the option goes through).

That is just a no go for the Giants. Joe Schoen loves to have cap flexibility, and if you put Rodgers on next year’s Giants, Schoen wouldn’t have a ton of cap space to work with. Don’t let the Giants 7-4 start fool you: there are plenty of holes on the roster that will need to be addressed either through free agency or the NFL Draft.  If you simply replaced Jones with Rodgers on the 2023 Giants, would they be better? Maybe slightly, but certainly not significantly better.

The Giants will need to make significant upgrades to their wide receiver and linebacker rooms this offseason, and will not want to limit their potential upgrades. The cost to trade for Rodgers will likely be two first-round picks, a likely a non-starter for Schoen, who has stated multiple times he wants to build the Giants through the draft.

After watching the Broncos mortgage their future for the services of an aging Russell Wilson, is it really wise to pay buckets of money to a fellow aging quarterback? We have seen expensive veteran quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Wilson, Matt Ryan, and even Rodgers’ play fall off over the last year and it has left franchises in limbo, with little to no money to fix their woes.

Young teams like the Giants become perennial contenders by adding young pieces in both the draft and free agency, not by adding QBs in their late 30s. Yup, NY and Schoen shouldn’t even think about trying to trade for him.