Let’s use your numbers and ignore how it will cripple our franchise for 2 seasons. How did that work out in 2022? We could’ve even make .500 and We ran 17.5 points per game for 1/2 a season on an Offense with the top 5 highest paid QB (your assertion) We played at home against a middling Detroit Defense and couldn’t even put up 17 points! The fruit doesn’t lie.. it’s rotten.
That said,I actually agree that Rodgers does give us the best chance this season, I’d agree with that. But you can’t talk about GM’s making BIG $$ and simultaneous ignore the ramifications of the key component of their duty. They MUST be emphasizing their franchises next moves in the medium and long term. Neither involve Rodgers at this moment.
I’m torn. While I do not align with Rodgers way of handling things, I understand the concept of milking his talent as long as feasible. That’s the question isn’t it?
Both parties are at a crossroads
We cannot live in “fear” forever of losing Rodgers and we could have Brock Purdy Turbo version sitting in the wings for $25mil cost over 2 full seasons. A wise GM once said.
We were “looking” for a QB when we found this one.. we can be “looking” again.
The opportunity cost is rising in keeping Rodgers. If he can be traded and we get at minimum 1 Day one and 1 Round Two selection (similar to Davante). I think you take the trade before the market crashes and you have no solid contingency plan. Trade a Round 2 selection for a future Round 1. If Love doesn’t look good? Package next years pair of Round 1 selections and get whichever QB you want from 130 college teams.
I'm not ignoring a key component...the GM is the guy that signed him to that deal. I don't understand how we can avoid knowing that the GM WANTED this cap hit when he signed the guy to exactly that cap hit. Look, if the packers can get a good haul for Rodgers I am fine with them wanting to move on to Love; but, and this is my primary issue with Gute's 2020 draft, the team has now wasted all but one of the cheap years with Love. People want to blame an expensive QB for the issues on this team but the primary issue is that the roster is REALLY top heavy and doesn't have very much in the way of good players on rookie contracts. That's not going to magically change because Love is counting $30m less against the cap (which would leave the team with roughly $14m in cap space), it just means the Packers might go out and sign a mid-level free agent (let's say they go out and sign DJ Chark to help Love).
This team's issues are the offense has been allowed to rot, relying on Rodgers to support a weak group of skill position players (and that's going to leave Love with a really hard job when/if he starts this season), while supposedly building an elite defense that isn't even really an average defense. Unless the Packers can somehow get Sauce Gardner PLUS a first in a trade with the Jets, then I think good things can happen.
My primary point is that, 9 times out of 10, the GM is going to keep around the elite QB no matter how expensive because an elite QB is the best job security for a coach/GM on the planet (just look at Ted and McCarthy) and keeping their job is generally priority one for most people.
