Aaron Rodgers Reportedly Rejected Trade To The Patriots
PLUS: Broncos Changing The Way Russell Wilson Operates
Sideline Scoop is a daily NFL Newsletter giving you the newest headlines and exclusive insights every weekday morning.
We have now entered that time of the year where almost nothing is happening in the NFL. Teams have wrapped up their mini camps. Players and coaches are heading home or on vacation to enjoy the final peaceful moments before training camp kicks off in late July.
This is the time of the year that, unless you’re a crazy NFL fanatic, you turn your attention elsewhere. You go on vacation. If you need to get your sports fix, you watch baseball. Or you start preparing for your fantasy football draft.
We are in fact in the NFL doldrums. The calm before the storm. The last moments of inactivity before teams take the field for training camp.
On Saturday I was at a burger joint and they were showing a replay of a Bears Lions game from 2022. In that moment I realized just how ready I am for the off-season to come to a close. It gave me a taste of what I’d been missing the past few months.
There’s a different feeling in the air when football is on. You head to a sports bar/grill on the weekend and there’s a game on every TV. Fans screaming. Sometimes in joy, other times in pure anger and disbelief. One group heads out upset – the other group leaves with a smile on their face. There’s nothing quite like it. The NFL season can’t come soon enough.
Now we wait…
Aaron Rodgers Reportedly Rejected Trade To Patriots
Craig Carton, who has a morning show on FS1, shared this information late last week:
"Aaron Rodgers almost wasn't a Jet. The New England Patriots made an offer to the Green Bay Packers to get Aaron Rodgers, and when Aaron Rodgers heard it, his agent said, 'No, we ain't playing for New England. We want to be a Jet."
I have a hard time imagining Rodgers playing for Belichick. It just doesn’t feel like their personalities and styles would mesh. Both guys like to be in control and have a say in the way things are run.
Rodgers chose an organization in the New York Jets that is meeting his every need. He wants to feel valued and have his input taken into consideration. That’s the main reason things fell apart in Green Bay. Rodgers and Packers GM Brian Gutekunst never got to a place where they trusted each other. Rodgers felt like Gutekunst couldn’t care less about his opinion.
My guess is that if Rodgers made his way to New England, the order of power would be much different than it currently is in New York. Belichick won’t hand over control that easily. He’s done things his way for his entire career.
If you’ve followed Aaron Rodgers closely over the years you know that relationships are of the utmost importance to him. The Jets made the wise decision early in the off-season to sign Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator. The same guy that happened to be Rodgers offensive coordinator in Green Bay for 3 seasons. The same guy that Rodgers often praised in press conferences during his time in Green Bay. The Jets knew what they were doing. Hacket was a lure to bait Rodgers to New York.
Now if the Patriots had signed Nathaniel Hackett instead, maybe we’d be talking about Rodgers in New England. But even in that scenario, I have a hard time imagining Rodgers wanting to follow in Tom Brady’s footsteps. Brady won 6 Super Bowls in New England.
If Rodgers went there and choked in the playoffs, I can’t imagine how much that would hurt his legacy in the eyes of fans. People already compare Rodgers lack of super bowls to Tom Brady, and I can’t imagine playing in Brady’s shadow would help.
Rodgers wanted to plot his own course and go to a place where he could be the difference maker. The Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010. If they go this year, there’s no question that Rodgers is the reason. If Rodgers went to New England and made the playoffs, there’d be debate as to how much it had to do with Rodgers vs Belichick. In New York, there’s no debate.
Broncos Changing The Way Russell Wilson Operates
Last year the Broncos banked their future on Russell Wilson. They sent the Seahawks 2 first round picks, 2 second round picks, a 5th and three players for Wilson’s services. What they got in return was the worst showing of Wilson’s career. He had the 28th best passer rating in the league.
The Broncos knew something needed to change. They fired first year head coach Nathaniel Hackett and brought in former Saints coach Sean Payton. Payton and his staff are not going to let the same problems that led to the abysmal showing by the Broncos in 2022 happen on their watch.
Recently Bronco’s offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi had this to say,
“Injuries are always a big deal. As you look at what happened last year, a lot of it was injuries. So, it’s about staying healthy. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but for June 14, we’re really happy with where he’s at. There’s some muscle memory that we have to overcome.
He’s used to doing things a certain way and we’re presenting a new way of doing things. He shows up every day ready to work. He’s the same guy every day—same attitude, and he’s really fun to work with. I think the answer for him is what the answer is for everyone. Work hard every day, get your fundamentals down and understand what you’re trying to accomplish. So far, it’s been really good.”
Russell Wilson’s 2022 season was riddled with injuries. He injured his shoulder and partially tore his hamstring in October. He suffered a concussion in December and strained his knee in early January that led to surgery. Sean Payton’s staff is doing everything they can to ensure those same issues don’t plague Russell in 2023.
There’s a lot to clean up in Denver after the mess that was the 2022 season.
More News Around The NFL
Jordan Love believes Sky’s the limit for Packers offense
Patriot’s Corner Josh Jones Arrested On Weapons Charge At Airport
Chiefs GM confident in negotiations with DT Chris Jones
Random Stat Of The Day
In Russell Wilson’s first year with Denver in 2022 he was sacked the most times in his career (55).
Random Question Of The Day
“What is your strongest belief?”
Jesus Christ is Lord.
That’s all for today!