The New England Patriots could be one of the top contenders to land Aaron Rodgers if he were to split with the Green Bay Packers, a CBS Sports report indicates.
There are reports of animosity between Rodgers and the team’s front office, with CBS Sports noting there is growing sentiment among league insiders that the All-Pro quarterback may find himself in a new home next season. Many sources around the league believe Rodgers has reached the end of his rope, upset that the team has showed a lack of commitment by using a first-round pick to take Jordan Love in last year’s NFL Draft.
“It’s been the worst kept secret in football. I don’t think they’ve ever really won him over,” one unnamed assistant coach told the outlet. “Last year they held him back, and then they picked his replacement in the draft. This guy is nothing if not calculated. He’s sending a signal to the rest of the league – ‘Come and get me.’”
The Patriots could be the among the most likely teams to snag Rodgers, wrote Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports . He put New England as the second most-likely destination for Rodgers if he ends up leaving Green Bay, noting that the Patriots have a big hole to fill after the uneven play of Cam Newton and the likelihood that he won’t return next season. Benjamin noted if Rodgers somehow became available, Bill Belichick would likely waste little time in trying to bring him to New England.
Benjamin wrote the Patriots already have some important connections that could be useful in recruiting Rodgers.
“Longtime Packers personnel executive Eliot Wolf, who was in Green Bay when the Pack drafted Rodgers and when Rodgers won both MVP and a Super Bowl, now resides in New England’s front office,” he pointed out.
Whether the Patriots would be able to snag Rodgers — and whether he would actually leave the Packers at a time when the team is still one of the NFC’s best — remains to be seen. But reports have indicated that New England will be making some kind of major move at quarterback to jump back into playoff contention after a disappointing 7-9 campaign in 2020. As The Inquisitr reported, some believe they could target Jimmy Garoppolo if the San Francisco 49ers make a move for the newly available Matthew Stafford, with many noting Belichick has always been interested in Brady’s former backup.
