Matt LaFleur reveals Packers' intentions to bring Aaron Rodgers back for 2022
In April 2021, it seemed today's situation was impossible. Aaron Rodgers was banging the bongos about going to a new team. However, a full season later, the quarterback is still around and the Packers still want him. On Monday, head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed what most expected. Green Bay still want their quarterback.
According to ESPN, LaFleur was clear about his team's intentions with the quarterback.
"Every conversation that I've been involved in with Gutey and Russ and Mark, we're all on the same page there," LaFleur said Monday. "There's no debate."
Of course, the bigger question is what the quarterback wants to do. The head coach didn't jump the gun on that discussion either.
"I want to be respectful of his process," LaFleur said. "Whatever he needs to go through to make the best decision for himself, and certainly we would love for him to be a Packer and be a Packer to the day he decides to retire."
Where could Aaron Rodgers land?
The quarterback hasn't officially made a decision, but many say the writing is on the wall. Green Bay's No. 12 had practically packed his bags in 2021, ready for a new frontier. However, he decided to stick around for "one last ride." The ride ended short of where it did last season, with the team getting knocked out of the divisional round despite earning a first-round bye and top seed in the NFC.
If Rodgers doesn't retire and decides to follow in the footsteps of Manning, Brady, and Favre, where could he end up? The quarterback has been clear in stating he doesn't want to do a rebuild, which makes sense considering his years are numbered.
Moments after the Green Bay Packers selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Aaron Rodgers was asked how disappointed he was that he wouldn’t be a member of the San Francisco 49ers, the team he grew up rooting for: https://t.co/0joayFEMt7
That narrows down the list of hopefuls considerably. The top two fits are seen by most as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos, who have failed to make the playoffs every season since Peyton Manning retired, have spent plenty of top-ten picks on rebuilding the offense.
From @NFLTotalAccess: #Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will take a step back, let the emotions go away, then make a decision before free agency. https://t.co/j0cYRdFd7B
Between Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler, the Broncos have plenty of weapons to help Rodgers. Additionally, their one-two punch of Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon is more than serviceable. Conventional wisdom says the Broncos are just a quarterback away.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are bracing for the loss of Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger leaves a solid offense featuring Chase Claypool, Juju Smith-Schuster and Najee Harris. Rodgers could easily step into the lineup and take the team further than they went in 2021.