Aaron Rodgers is all about that drama. Playing quarterback is his job, but he was born to be a diva. I’m convinced Rodgers would rather be loved than win a Super Bowl ring. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, because when not belly-button gazing, he throws touchdown passes.
But no NFL team, including the Broncos, desperate for an elite QB to lead them back to the playoffs, can put up with the dilly-dallying of Mr. Rodgers for much longer.
Our favorite football diva needs to make up his fickle mind whether to retire or play on, either in Green Bay or elsewhere in the league. And since we’re hooked on this soap opera, is Rodgers ready to get married? Or not?
Seems to me the dude has commitment issues.
Now I don’t care if Rodgers ever ties the knot with actress Shailene Woodley, but if he’s not all in with the idea of being traded to Denver, the Broncos need to move on and find a quarterback before the only choices remaining are Tweedledee (Teddy Bridgewater) and Tweedledum (Drew Lock).
As a public service to Broncos general manager George Paton, I humbly offer this shopping list. These are my top five choices as Denver’s next starting quarterback (in order of personal preference):
No. 1: Russell Wilson. Danger Russ has won a Super Bowl ring and earned Pro Bowl recognition nine times. At 33 years old, there’s every reason to believe Wilson can produce at least five more stellar seasons, which is no small consideration if Denver is going to mortgage its draft future to acquire an elite quarterback.
If Rodgers retires or decides he wants to dance again with the Packers, Denver is going to feel jilted and look foolish if Seattle trades Wilson to Washington or any other quarterback-needy team.
No. 2: Rodgers. If the Broncos didn’t hire Nathaniel Hackett, an upbeat motivator who gives the nice, warm fuzzies Rodgers craves, as a recruiting tool, Paton was nuts to take a chance on a new coaching staff so young it requires training wheels.
For all his personality quirks and mad ideas about vaccination science, I think Rodgers is worth the same steep price of draft choices (2022 first-round pick, 2023 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick and 2022 third-round pick) I would dangle to entice Seattle in a trade. The major caveat? The window to win a Super Bowl with the 38-year-old Rodgers would be no more than three seasons, because it’s hard for me to fathom how a QB who fancies himself a Renaissance man will put up with the grind of training camp much past age 40.
No. 3: Sam Howell. The overwhelming consensus among NFL draftniks is that this is a weak college class of quarterback prospects. Choosing among Malik Willis of Liberty, Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh and Matt Corral of Mississippi is a crapshoot, at best.
I’d roll the dice of Howell, a former teammate of Broncos running back Javonte Williams at North Carolina. Howell has a big arm and can also beat a defense with his legs. Maybe he’s not Josh Allen, but Howell has some of the same attributes as the Bills quarterback John Elway passed on in the draft. Pick Howell at No. 9 in the first round? No. But use some of Denver’s draft capital to trade back into the latter half of the opening round to get Howell? Absolutely.
No. 4: Deshaun Watson. OK, I certainly understand the problem here. No reason to be outraged. Any team that trades for Watson before he’s cleared from charges by 22 women of sexual assault would deserve all the scorn it would receive.
Watson, however, is one of the five most talented quarterbacks on the planet. Like it or not, football is a bottom-line business that cares more about winning than morality. If he isn’t headed for prison, Watson will be given a second chance in the NFL. Anywhere but here, you say? I fully respect that opinion, so long as you don’t come crying to me when Watson takes the field for Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl.
No. 5: Anybody but Jimmy Garoppolo. Jimmy G is a righteous dude and wonderful teammate. If he were capable of leading a team to a championship, Garoppolo would’ve already done it with San Francisco. When has apountry ever been content to settle with a participation ribbon from the playoffs?
OK, Garoppolo is a better option than Bridgewater or Lock. But if Jimmy G is the best Paton can do, maybe he’s the wrong architect for the Denver roster.
