The Daily Briefing Wednesday, July 28, 2021

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY

The re-acquisition of WR RANDALL COBB was one of QB AARON RODGERS’ demands/requests of Packers management.  And it has happened. Zach Kruse of USA TODAY:

Randall Cobb is coming home to Green Bay.

The veteran wide receiver confirmed a trade back to the Packers via a Twitter post on Wednesday morning: “I’m coming home!”

The Packers and Houston Texans will need to work out official trade compensation, and it’s believed Cobb will need to restructure his contract to fit under the salary cap in Green Bay.

Cobb, a second-round pick of the Packers in 2011, spent his first eight seasons in Green Bay. He caught 470 passes for 5,524 yards and 41 touchdowns over 105 games with the Packers.

Cobb played one season with the Dallas Cowboys and one season with the Texans after leaving Green Bay following the 2018 season.

The Packers start training camp with a practice on Wednesday. It’s possible Cobb could be back on the field with the team at some point this week.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com on the angst of Packers fans.

I’m bellied up at lunchtime, as one does in these parts, at a bar called The Fat Seagull. In front of me is a beer tap with green labels and a yellow background. Cry Baby 12, an amber that goes down smooth, has sparked chuckles from most customers — and rage from a few — while giving voice to legions of Green Bay Packers fans who grew weary of their quarterback’s offseason dispute with the team.

Aaron Rodgers reported to training camp on time Tuesday, and he is expected to wear his No. 12 jersey when the Packers kick off the season Sept. 12 at the New Orleans Saints. But a couple of days spent in and around Green Bay this week revealed that it will take time for some fans to move on from Rodgers’ push to leave the team, if they do so at all.

Most fans realize that the pending restructure of his contract could make 2021 Rodgers’ final season in Green Bay, before backup Jordan Love — whom the Packers traded up to select at No. 26 in the 2020 NFL draft — takes over. And not all of them are broken up about it.

“He could have handled the whole thing a lot differently,” said Rachel Graff, who owns The Fat Seagull along with her husband, Keith, and their friend, Scott Scheurell. “I’ve always rooted for the team, not for any one player, and he’s not the only player on the team. From talking to a lot of Packers fans, there is definitely some animosity for the way it was handled.

“Are we happy that he’s back? Yes. Are we surprised that it’s probably only for one more season? Nope.”

“This wasn’t meant to dis Aaron as a person,” she added, referring to the beer’s moniker. “It was meant to start a conversation, and it has definitely done that.”

Rodgers has had a complicated relationship with Packers fans from the moment he replaced Brett Favre, an everyman folk hero who made clear he wanted to remain with the team when he was traded away in 2008. Like Favre, Rodgers was surprised when the Packers drafted his heir and angered that the front office — president/CEO Mark Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst and executive vice president Russ Ball — didn’t consult him first.

But Rodgers’ complaints have registered differently with fans, many of whom scoffed at what they considered a mild case of hurt feelings and were insulted by the apparent joy he took in teasing out his discontent through vague interviews and wordless social media posts.

It’s not unusual for fans to turn on a player, even for a short period of time, but I’m willing to bet we’ve never before seen a reigning MVP — one who has led his team to consecutive appearances in the NFC Championship Game — mocked by a bar that sits 45 minutes from his home stadium.

“I think everybody is going to be behind him if he shows up,” said lifelong Pack fan Nick Suess, who lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, before Rodgers arrived at camp on Tuesday. “But it has definitely tarnished his legacy to sign a contract like he did in 2018, be the highest-paid player on the team and take us so close to the Super Bowl, and then to not want to continue on this course.”

Suess spoke Monday at Lambeau Field, where he participated in the Packers’ annual shareholders meeting. He was wearing Love’s No. 10 jersey, with the names “Love” and “Gute,” on the back, a reference to his support of both Love and Green Bay’s general manager.

After saying in January that his future was “a beautiful mystery,” given Love’s presence on the team, Rodgers’ desire to move on was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on April 29, the first day of the 2021 NFL draft. Rodgers then told ESPN in May: “It’s just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way.”

Kyle Cousineau watched the story build up with alarm. Cousineau is recognized around Green Bay as the unofficial mayor, a lifelong resident who knows everyone and has heard everything. He is a relentless optimist, but even he struggled to maintain his enthusiasm during the dispute. Worse, he was shocked by what he viewed as a reversal of Rodgers’ typical behavior.

Cousineau winced, for example, when Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams posted identical photos on Instagram of Basketball Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, with no further explanation. Were they tweaking the Packers’ front office? Were they announcing their intention to return for one final “Last Dance”? (According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rodgers’ restructured contract will void the 2023 season and also allow the sides to revisit 2022 after the 2021 campaign.)

“We’ve seen him be so calculated in everything he does,” Cousineau said. “And now he was being this passive-aggressive guy that posts pictures of the ‘Last Dance’ and whatever. It’s like, what are you doing, man? You said [on ESPN’s SportsCenter] that you play for your teammates, coaches and fans. Well, if this is really only about Mark Murphy, Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball, you’re pissing off millions of Packers fans with all of this passive-aggressive BS.”

Leaving fans to interpret Instagram posts was, in a word, uncool. But it wasn’t surprising for a player who is trying to leverage the team into setting him free, said Waukesha, Wisconsin, native Erick Rolfson.

“Nobody likes uncertainty,” Rolfson said, “but it’s a big piece when you’re negotiating. The fans didn’t like it, of course. I’m sure we would have liked him to say, ‘Hey, this is what it is,’ and lay all of his cards on the table. But from a business standpoint, you just can’t do that.”

NFC SOUTH

TAMPA BAY

Coach Bruce Arians was furious with a ProFootballTalk.com report on Tuesday.  And Mike Florio didn’t appreciate it:

Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians called out our recent reporting regarding Tampa Bay players wearing red wristbands (if vaccinated) and yellow wristbands (if unvaccinated) at practice. Although he didn’t name PFT or me during his profane rant (I haven’t changed the language because he said what he said), he was talking about our reporting (as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times accurately surmised).

“All right, one thing before we get started,” Arians said at the outset of Tuesday’s press conference, as tweeted by Stroud. “If I give you some information, just know the fuckin’ rules before you put ’em in the press. Red and yellow bands. They don’t have to wear ’em in practice. That’s indoors. I’ve gotta read shit, we should be fined for red and yellow bands because they ain’t got ’em on at practice.  That’s bullshit. If you’re gonna report shit, make sure it’s fuckin’ right.”

We reported first that the Buccaneers said that vaccinated players will wear red wristbands and that unvaccinated players will wear yellow wristbands at practice. We specifically asked the question by referring to wristbands worn during practices and games.

We then reported that the photos from Tampa Bay’s Sunday practice showed some players in no wristbands at all. We asked the Buccaneers about that specific wrinkle, and we were not told at any time for example, “Wait, that only applies in the facility, not on the practice field.”

I don’t want to call anyone out by name (yet). By here’s the simple truth — I asked the questions, I received the answers, I reported the answers accurately, and I have the text messages to prove ALL of it. The text messages reveal multiple opportunities to tell me that the wristbands are worn only in the facility and not at practice. That was never said.

Also, we never said the Buccaneers should be fined over the issue of wristbands. Of course, they should have been fined (at a minimum) last year for tampering with Tom Brady while he was under contract with the Patriots. They also should be fined (at a minimum) for hiding Tom Brady’s knee injury on every report that submitted to the league in 2020. But we never said they should be fined over the wristband issue.

So, to summarize, we made sure what we reported was right before reporting it. More specifically, we asked the right people within the organization for the information, and we used what we received. If Arians has an issue with what we reported, he should ask specific questions internally before taking reckless shots externally.

It really seems like a small thing in the big picture.  The Buccaneers are using wrist bands to keep track of the compliant.

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

WR LARRY FITZGERALD is neither signed nor retired.  Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com:

When Arizona Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds walked to his room at the Renaissance Hotel in Glendale on Tuesday to prepare for the first day of training camp, he noticed he had the same accommodations as the last couple seasons.

But something was missing this year.

In the past, Larry Fitzgerald’s room was near Edmonds’ — but not this camp. Someone else is occupying that room.

For the first time since 2004, when he was negotiating his rookie contract, Fitzgerald wasn’t at the first day of Cardinals’ training camp. The 37-year-old is a free agent and hasn’t publicly announced his plans for the near future: Come back and play an 18th season — with the Cardinals or someone else — or retire.

“Ball’s in his court,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “We’ve left it in his court. He’s earned that. That’s how we felt as an organization. And so that’s where it’s at.”

His absence was felt Tuesday by those Cardinals who played alongside Fitzgerald in the past.

Fellow wide receiver Christian Kirk sat down at his locker inside State Farm Stadium on Tuesday morning to prepare for the annual conditioning test that kicks off camp, and for the first time in his young career Fitzgerald wasn’t next to him.

“It definitely feels weird without him,” said Kirk, who was Fitzgerald’s teammate from 2018 to 2020. “There’s definitely going to be a little bit of an adjustment period for me.

“He’s been around here, a part of this organization for so long, not having him here on the first day is a little weird.”

The reality of that hasn’t sunk in for Kirk.

“I’m not sure I really had time to you know really process that,” Kirk said. “The immediate reaction to it, it’s just a missing face, something that is so constant.”

Kirk has missed Fitzgerald’s attitude and personality this offseason from his humor to how he flips the proverbial switch to being serious on the field.

Edmonds was going to send a text message to the group chat he’s in with former teammate Trent Sherfield, Fitzgerald and Kirk with a simple message: “We miss you.”

Questions about Fitzgerald’s playing future have been the hot topic during the past five offseasons. Not knowing which season was going to be Fitzgerald’s last led Kirk to being more appreciative of Fitzgerald.

“Because you never knew going into a new year with him if he’s gonna retire or if he’s not — never to take any moment around him for granted,” Kirk said. “And I always made sure to cherish whether it was the last game, last practice, last time sitting down eating dinner, whatever it was, just to make sure I cherish those moments.”

However, the Cardinals aren’t closing the door just yet on the Larry Fitzgerald Era.

Kingsbury said the organization has a plan ready regardless of what Fitzgerald decides. Either way, there’ll be a few major decisions about the makeup of the Cardinals’ receiving room, one that currently includes DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Rondale Moore, KeeSean Johnson and Andy Isabella. Tuesday wasn’t the time to discuss that — and, anyway, Kirk said he doesn’t get paid to make those decision.

SAN FRANCISCO

The 49ers have QB TREY LANCE in the fold.  Michael Baca of NFL.com:

There will be no holdout when it comes to San Francisco’s No. 3 overall pick.

49ers quarterback Trey Lance has signed his rookie contract, his agency CAA announced Wednesday. The team has since confirmed the four-year deal, which puts all eight of the 49ers draft picks under contract.

The signing comes just in time for San Francisco’s first on-field practices as they begin training camp. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear on Tuesday where Lance stands on the depth chart and indicated that nothing will be handed to the 21 year old.

“There’s no open competition right now,” Shanahan said. “Jimmy (Garoppolo) is coming in as the one and Trey is coming in as the two.”

The 49ers traded up to select Lance No. 3 overall in April’s draft and is set up to become the heir apparent. Coming out of North Dakota State, Lance played just one game during a COVID-stricken season in his final year of college. Although Lance attended 49ers minicamp while unsigned, avoiding a holdout and getting him on the field with the veterans was essential for general manager John Lynch.

“We’ve never had a holdout but it always seems to go down to the wire,” Lynch said Tuesday.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

As someone who just brought out boxes of football cards from the garage that have been sitting there for 30 years, we confess we don’t understand a thing about card valuation.

But, we thought the cards with great, great value belonged to old-timers like Honus Wagner.  Then we read this from Dan Hajducky of ESPN.com:

A Lombardi trophy wasn’t at stake this time, but Patrick Mahomes has dethroned Tom Brady.

With the National Sports Collectors Convention beginning just outside Chicago on Wednesday, PWCC Marketplace announced that a Mahomes 2017 Panini National Treasures 1-of-1, NFL shield, autographed card has sold for $4.3 million, the most ever paid for a football card and the fourth-largest sum fetched by a sports card all time.

“People see Mahomes as the next Brady,” PWCC director of business development Jesse Craig said. “He’s 25, he already has a Super Bowl and an MVP award. So, the sky’s the limit for him … and his card values.”

“It’s the perfect storm. It’s a 1-of-1, the NFL shield an on-card auto, a rookie. You have someone betting on Mahomes’ career, [and] this is as good as it gets.”

The NFL shield, like Logoman basketball cards, include the full league logo from a player’s game-worn jersey ensnared in a card, the rarest modern cards in existence.

The buyer betting on Mahomes is LJ’s Card Shop of New Albany, Ohio, originally a digital store for single cards, boxes, cases and memorabilia which is opening a brick-and-mortar shop in the near future.

“Our goal at LJ’s has always been to build the best modern-day card collection,” a store spokesperson said. “We’re continually hunting for cards that add to our collection in a meaningful way, [and] the Mahomes is truly a piece of art. We’re honored.”

The Mahomes card will be on display at the NSCC before returning to the PWCC Vault for safekeeping.

“I believe it’s going in their long-term portfolio,” Craig said. “[It] probably won’t see the light of day for quite some time.”

The card carries an 8.5 grade from Beckett Grading Services, enhancing the value.

This sale outpaces the previous record of $3.1 million, set in a June Lelands auction, in which a Brady 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Rookie Ticket Autograph card sold. The card — which carried a 9 Beckett grade with a 10 signature — was numbered 8/100. It does not feature a memorabilia swatch.

“There weren’t 1-of-1s when Brady was a rookie in 2000,” Craig said. “And, look, there’s inherently more risk whenever you invest into a player who is still active and young. Mahomes could get injured tomorrow. He could also win another MVP and Super Bowl.

“What we realized about modern players is that [fans] like to feel invested in them when they step on the field or court.”

PWCC Marketplace has now brokered three of the four top sports card sales of all time, all since January: The $5.2 million sales of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, the 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection LeBron James RPA (rookie patch autograph) and the Mahomes.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Add QB LAMAR JACKSON to the growing ranks of vaccinated survivors (see Jon Rahm) who are testing positive a second time in defiance of what was once science.  Michael Baca of NFL.com:

Lamar Jackson won’t be on the field as training camp practices begin.

The Ravens star QB is being held out of Wednesday’s practice because of a positive COVID-19 test, sources tell NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed Wednesday that Jackson, along with running back Gus Edwards, tested positive and will be placed into COVID protocols.

“That’s really the extent that we can comment on those two guys in that sense at this time,” Harbaugh told reporters.

It is unclear how long Jackson is expected to be sidelined at this point as the team goes through the extensive COVID protocols. Jackson will remain out until he clears.

With the aspect of a new contract looming, Jackson’s absence is medical rather than contract-related, Rapoport adds.

Jackson missed one game last season after testing positive for COVID-19 in Week 12.

The Ravens went ahead and signed QB Kenji Bahar to the 90-man roster this morning. Bahar was on the roster for minicamp before his release in June and becomes the fourth QB on the Ravens roster alongside Trace McSorley, Tyler Huntley and Jackson.

AFC EAST

MIAMI

He may be beating $50,000 per day fines, but CB XAVIEN HOWARD makes clear he is a most unhappy camper.

Making the case he has outperformed his contract, Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard said in a statement Tuesday night that he has requested a trade.

“I don’t feel valued, or respected, by the Dolphins,” Howard said. “Just like they can take a business-first approach, so can I.”

Howard reported to training camp Tuesday but was frustrated all summer that Miami would not adjust his contract.

In 2019, Howard signed a five-year, $75 million deal that, at the time, made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. But he is due $12 million in nonguaranteed money this year while coming off a 10-interception season (the most in the NFL since 2007) that earned him an All-Pro nod.

Howard’s contract now ranks sixth in per-year average, and he switched agents recently to navigate his push for a stronger deal.

“I’m one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and the tape backs up that claim,” Howard said. “Yet, I’m the second highest paid cornerback on my own team, and it’s not even close.”

Byron Jones, the corner opposite Howard, earned a five-year, $82.5 million deal in free agency last year.

Howard said he and his new agent, David Canter, never requested a new deal but instead offered solutions such as more guaranteed money on a reworked contract. The organization refused those pitches, and “I don’t feel the organization has dealt with me in good faith,” the cornerback said.

“That’s why I want to make it clear I’m not happy, and have requested a trade,” Howard said. “Until that trade happens I am just here so I don’t get fined, and will handle myself like professionals do.”

Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Wednesday it’s still possible to keep Howard in Miami and happy with his situation.

“There’s a way,” Flores said Wednesday on the Dolphins’ flagship radio station, WQAM-AM. “I think we just continue to have discussions with him, his representation, and keep the lines of communication open, continue having dialogue, and hopefully work something out.”

Howard has what teams covet: the ability to play press-man coverage and get the ball. He has 22 interceptions and 55 pass deflections since entering the league out of Baylor in 2016. Only the Baltimore Ravens’ Marcus Peters (23) has more picks during that span.

The last time Miami traded an elite player, it acquired two first-round picks in exchange for left tackle Laremy Tunsil in 2019.

NEW ENGLAND

If QB MAC JONES is any good (he probably is), and perhaps even if he isn’t, he is closing in on tiring warhorse CAM NEWTON.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.componders when Jones will pull past Newton.

As the Patriots inch toward their first training-camp practice of 2021, one of the biggest questions arising from a significantly upgraded roster (especially on offense) arises from the quarterback position, where 2015 MVP Cam Newton and No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 draft Mac Jones highlight the competition.

Most believe Newton currently has the edge, and most also believe Jones eventually will become the guy. So how long can Newton hold Jones off?

Per a league source, multiple current teammates believe Newton simply isn’t the guy he once was. Given how spectacular he once was, that’s arguably the stuff of Captain Obvious. Regardless, the presence of those thoughts lays the foundation for teammates to have an open mind about the possibility that Jones may be the better option. And the opinions of the other men in the locker room go a long way toward determining whether the decision by the coaching staff as to who will play quarterback will be accepted.

The New England organization has high regard for Newton. If it didn’t, he wouldn’t have been re-signed after a 2020 season that started with promise but then became marred by a bout with COVID. Conversely, if it viewed Newton as a long-term answer, it wouldn’t have drafted a quarterback in the first round for the first time since Drew Bledsoe in 1993.

Newton’s drive, personality, and work ethic have helped fill the leadership void created by the departure of Tom Brady. But those intangibles become meaningless if not complemented by solid performances and ultimately wins. With a better array of weapons around Newton, the wins could come more frequently in 2021. And even if he’s no longer at the level he occupied six years ago, Newton could be good enough to help the Patriots return to the status of serious contender, which could keep Jones on the bench for most if not all of the 2021 season.

Ultimately, it comes down to Newton. How much better will he know the offense? Will he make better decisions on the field? As former Patriots receiver Julian Edelman remarked earlier this year, Cam works hard. He now has to work smart. If that happens, those teammates who know he’s not the MVP he was in 2015 may realize he’s still more than good enough to do the job.

It also doesn’t hurt that Cam has a career record of 2-0 against the quarterback who’s coming back to town in Week Four.

THIS AND THAT

AARON RODGERS 2022

Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com skips right past 2021 and looks to where AARON RODGERS will go when he ditches Green Bay.  And as he points out, there are likely to be quite a few candidates:

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have managed to resolve their differences. For now.

Our long national nightmare is over. For now.

But let’s not pretend that the last five months didn’t happen. Don’t try to sell that “nothing to see here” narrative with me. No one wants to go to war with a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback (and this isn’t even Green Bay’s first rodeo when it comes to that caliber of player), and this was very messy and very dragged out for a reason.

Sure, the sides found enough financial and contractual common ground to facilitate a temporary arrangement that really serves as an exit portal for the player. They got that much done. But Rodgers isn’t going to forget the long list of gripes and grievances that led to this saga in the first place, and the real end game of this revamped contract is it allows the QB an opportunity to help determine where he ends his career.

Does he have written guarantees that he will be traded as soon as January? No. But neither side wants to go through this again. The Packers are very clear on what Rodgers desires, he will relish being one of the most talked about players in the NFL every week in this ‘Last Dance’ scenario, and then he will go from his MJ moment to his LeBron moment as we all eagerly await ‘The Decision’ in early 2022 with Rodgers steering himself to a new team (and another new contract!) via trade (maybe Tom Brady could loan A-Rod his buddy Jim Gray?). No trade will be made without more years on the deal, Rodgers can always play the retirement card if need be and the Packers aren’t going to be able to just force him to play for the lowly Texans or something like that.

That’s not how it’s going to work.

But it does beg the question of which teams make the most sense for 2022. Which franchises could potentially possess what Rodgers desires, and also be in a position to consummate such a trade? Where are the most likely landing spots? Never too soon to consider! Rule out the NFC North for obvious reasons, and rule out teams that might need a QB badly but aren’t close to competing (Houston, etc.) and rule out teams that have recently drafted or acquired whom they believe to be the QB of the present and the future, and this is how I would size up the field, with roughly one third of the NFL at least worth mentioning:

Denver Broncos

They have to be the leader in the clubhouse, right? Rodgers is cool with Colorado. They have a legit defense and some interesting pieces on offense. It worked for Peyton Manning near the end. John Elway can facilitate. It hasn’t been just all smoke between these sides this offseason. That seems like a great fit from a lifestyle and football standpoint and the QB of the future is not on this roster now.

New Orleans Saints

Man oh man. Rodgers and Sean Payton would be something, wouldn’t it? They have look-see QBs for now, but having Rodgers come in a year after Drew Brees retires with a veteran team and taking them to the Promised Land? A-Rod at Jazz Fest? That seems like a decent fit, too. Great OL. Can run the heck out of the ball. Play a lot of games in great weather or a dome. Same division as Tom Brady. Hmm.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Big Ben is doing his ‘Last Dance’ thing in Pittsburgh while Rodgers does his in Green Bay. But do you believe Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins is going to prove to be the long-term answer? Do you believe a franchise that hasn’t finished below .500 in forever is going to do a full-scale rebuild with a rookie passer when they are probably picking around 18-20 in the first round (no man’s land for top QBs). Can they afford to keep trading top picks in a way that franchise historically never does to move up and get one? Or is Rodgers plug-and-play with that defense and what they think will be a reborn run game? Could you imagine starting playoff games for these two iconic franchises?

Miami Dolphins

I think Tua Tagovailoa is gonna be okay. But clearly the Dolphins have had a wandering eye even after using their first pick two years ago on one of the more accomplished college QBs in recent years. South Beach would be quite a departure from Green Bay. Ownership has generally failed to woo players and/or coaches of this magnitude to Miami, but Steve Ross would try like heck. Loaded with draft capital and could also flip Tua to recoup some.

Seattle Seahawks

What if Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have a split as well after quite a tumultuous offseason this year? Could the timing work out? Seahawks GM John Schneider has deep ties to Green Bay and is Rodgers’ kind of guy. Seattle is also his kind of city. They are used to paying a big-money QB and could get a massive haul for Wilson that would trump what they have to give up for Rodgers. Pete Carroll looks like he is 45 but is the oldest coach in the league and restarting with a kid QB couldn’t be his first choice if they did opt to take an epic return from a Wilson trade.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady continues to send signals that is playing way beyond 2021. Like, definitely more than one year. But injuries happen and things can change and if Brady moved on a year from now this team would still be built to win right bleeping now with an older coach in Bruce Arians in tow. How about that for a transition – Brady to Rodgers? Again, it would take mitigating circumstances, but if Tampa Bay found itself in need of a QB this would be an obvious fit.

Las Vegas Raiders

Jon Gruden has already stuck with Derek Carr longer than many expected. But people in that organization were watching the Wilson thing very closely and Las Vegas is a superstar kind of town seeking marquee attractions. If they can make some strides with the roster and the defense this year perhaps they could be positions to at least try to woo Rodgers.

Carolina Panthers

This Sam Darnold thing could be a flop. Either way this owner would pounce on someone like Rodgers if given the chance. They have some blue chip players, it’s not a huge media market, and money wouldn’t be an object for someone like David Tepper. He wouldn’t fret too much about future draft picks, either.

Philadelphia Eagles

Super aggressive front office and owner, but they may end up landing Deshaun Watson before Rodgers becomes available. I’m not sure Philly would be Rodgers’ kind of locale and it would probably take a helluva sales pitch to make it happen, but this team clearly is eyeing big-time QBs while seeing what it has in Jalen Hurts,

Washington Football Team

For starters, they may have a new nickname by the time the Rodgers Sweepstakes begins. Looks like a top five defense to me, and they clearly are year-to-year at the QB spot. Not sure it’s somewhere he sees himself living, and can’t see him clicking with owner Dan Snyder (though he may still be on his quasi-suspension by the league as all of this plays out). I could see him clicking with team president Jason Wright, who might be able at least to get an audience with Rodgers should they go as expected.

New York Giants

This is make-or-break time for Daniel Jones. And if it goes the way I suspect it will, they will be very much in the market for a new QB in 2022. And going with another 21 year old might be a tough sell. So, too, could be Joe Judge as the head coach for that matter … but let’s just say this could be a once-storied franchise that needs to be willing to move and do whatever it takes to at least get in the Rodgers derby.

We like all these teams as candidates – but we could throw in a few more – Atlanta, Minnesota, Houston (doubt that Rodgers would be excited though).