The Packers were close to trading one of the league’s tight ends to create an unstoppable duo with Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers is set to leave Green Bay. New York Jets Going into this season, the Packers could, should, wonder what they can do to convince the region to stay.
Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have been on a collision course in the months since Rodgers signed the mega-extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player each year. At the time, Rodgers was cutting the star for 2022, helping the franchise continue to legitimately compete for the Super Bowl, but Rodgers missed out on the star wide receiver. Davante Adamstoo many.
As Rodgers struggled to generate chemistry with his rookie targets by the end of the season, the Packers had had enough of Rodgers’ stubbornness and sloppy attitude, and enough of Rodgers’ mediocrity that cost him the franchise. Both parties (it doesn’t matter who came first) probably want to move on.
To play a short game of “what if?”, what if the Packers went out and traded for then-Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller? Could Rodgers have played better and looked like the 2021 MVP himself? Will he forget all about Adams and retire as a happy Packer?
In the 2022 season, the Packers were set to sell to Darren Waller.
On The Pat McAfee Show, agent Drew Rosenhaus, the go-to source for all Rodgers-related news, discussed the Darren Waller market last offseason and said the Packers were among two teams interested in trading for the star tight end. The Miami Dolphins were also reportedly in the running.
Green Bay had a good pass-catching end in Robert Tonian, but Waller’s streak of 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020 was nothing Tonian accomplished.
Of course, Waller’s injury history should also be noted – Waller missed a handful of games in 2021 due to various injuries and missed another handful in 2022 due to hamstring issues.
If he joined Green Bay early last season, there’s no telling what his production will be like, or if he’ll be able to generate chemistry with a big man like Aaron Rodgers.
Waller finally stayed in Las Vegas for 2022 He was transferred to the New York Giants this year for cheap compensation.
With the Packers now gone in free agency, in retrospect they probably won’t regret their decision and may have avoided the risk of passing on such an injury-prone target.
The days of trying to please Aaron Rodgers are firmly behind them. The Jets need to stroke that guy’s ego now.