It takes two to tango. With Aaron Rodgers in search of a third NFL team to suit up for, the Green Bay Packers legend and former New York Jets starter seems to be open to the idea of playing elsewhere. With the Jets stating they are moving on from him under the new regime, what other choice does he have? Rodgers could retire, which is what I would do, but he still has the chance to make millions.
TMZ Sports was able to catch Rodgers coming out of a training session on Thursday in Southern California. He said he only has two items on his wishlist for his next place of NFL employment. The first is that he wants to be wanted. The second is he would prefer to play somewhere where there is plenty of talent around him. That is fairly open-minded and straight forward, but a bit mysterious, too.
This is a direct slap in the face of the Jets who do not want him and are not as talented as they think they are. While being wanted is in the eye of the beholder, assessing talent may be a little more clear cut. Any number of teams may want him, but Rodgers may not want to go there if the talent is not sufficient. This probably throws a wrench in bad teams such as the Tennessee Titans, among others.
So if Rodgers wants to be wanted and prefers to have talent around him, what teams make sense?
Aaron Rodgers spells out what he all needs from his next NFL team
If we remove the Titans from the equation for talent reasons, as well as having the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, there are plenty of teams with talented rosters that could use a new quarterback. There are four teams that come to mind for me when it comes to where Rodgers could play next season: The Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers.
While the Raiders are the least talented of the four, they have Brock Bowers at tight end, as well as Pete Carroll at head coach, Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator and Tom Brady as a minority owner. The Raiders are not going to be great right away under Carroll, but they are not going to be terrible. Of course, they are the team I expect will move heaven and earth to trade up to go get Shedeur Sanders.
Rodgers grew up in Northern California and played his college football at Cal, so the 49ers may be a fit. Then again, the fanbase and to some degree the team believe Brock Purdy can do no wrong. The timing may not be right, but Rodgers finishing his career with the 49ers is probably his best shot at getting back to a Super Bowl. All things equal, I would go with Purdy if he is not making $60 million.
As far as the Steelers are concerned, Rodgers could help them elevate a bit, but I struggle to see him getting along with Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith. The Steelers' roster is not as talented as they think it is. While Rodgers may be an upgrade over Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, I think it is in the team's best interest to see what it could have in Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. He could be something...
And the team that I think Rodgers probably wants to go to the most is the Rams. While Los Angeles has talent, this is a team that I feel strongly is on the decline. Matthew Stafford is the younger and healthier player. I would much rather ride it out with him than inserting Rodgers into the equation. If the Rams do decide to pivot off Stafford, then I get adding Rodgers, but also draft Quinn Ewers, too.
Overall, if Rodgers cannot make it work with the Jets at this stage of his career, he is largely washed. I understand that Gang Green is one of the most dysfunctional organizations in football, but Rodgers used to be fantastic deodorant for the many issues plaguing the Packers in the Mike McCarthy era. Sadly, he is no longer that play. Just because he wants to play next season does not mean he will.
At this juncture, there could be another team we are not even thinking about that pursues Rodgers.