Rusher
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Hoooo-boy.
You want a juicy rumor? You’re getting one.
It’s believed that the 49ers offered the No. 3 overall pick, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, other players, plus draft picks to the Green Bay Packers for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Bill Michaels started the fire, attributing the report to Paul Allen of KFAN, with confirmation from others.
As we hear it, the offer was made — and rejected — last night.
A source with knowledge of the situation, however, calls the report absolutely untrue, adding that not a single call has been received on Rodgers. (It previously was reported that the Rams made a run at trading for Rodgers before trading for Matthew Stafford; the Packers denied that, too.) At least one other person in position to have knowledge regarding the situation also has denied that the 49ers tried to get Rodgers, but without going on the record.
As Josh Alper of PFT noted on an intra-company text chain, it’s surprising that the 49ers would try to trade for someone who could be dead by Sunday.
The rumor of a Rodgers trade may not die so quickly. As one source who has heard the rumor explained it, the Packers haven’t restructured Rodgers contract to maximize cap space this year due in part to the possibility that they’ll get an offer for him that they can’t refuse. As another source who hadn’t heard the rumor but found it plausible remarked, it would be interesting to know whether any of this is being instigated by Rodgers — given his frustration with his year-to-year contract status and his potential desire to get to the West Coast, a preference that could soon be enhanced by a possible offer to become the permanent host of L.A.-based Jeopardy!
One clear impediment to the offer as articulated would be the Garoppolo contract, since the Packers (nor anyone else) will pay him $25 million this year. Still, it’s food for thought in the event a team like, say, the Raiders decides to package the current starting quarterback plus a boatload of players and picks for an eleventh-hour Hail Mary aimed at bringing the master of the Hail Mary to town.