Most people would tell you that if Aaron Rodgers is to continue playing football in 2023, it will be with the New York Jets. Cris Collinsworth isn’t one of those people, and the “Sunday Night Football” announcer has another destination(s) in mind for the current Green Bay Packers quarterback.
Though the 39-year-old met with the Jets this week, Collinsworth believes he should be looking at teams in the NFC South — the same way Tom Brady did, when he departed from the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
“I think that, like Tom Brady, you pick your spot,” Collinsworth told NFL podcaster Kay Adams. “Tom Brady went into it and he knew if he were in the [NFC] South, that he could come out, probably had to beat the New Orleans Saints in the process in order to be able to get in the playoffs and move on. He did that. He was in the playoffs a couple years. Won one Super Bowl.
“If I was his agent, if I were whatever, I would say where are you going to win the Super Bowl? I mean, the only thing that’s not on the resume is that second Super Bowl. So you pick where you think that is, and believe me, I’ll go make a deal. And right now, the NFC South is still about the same way that it was before. You go in there, you have to beat Derek Carr. And there are some teams that are looking for quarterbacks there right now.”
Aaron Rodgers Heading South?
Three of the four teams in the NFC South will likely be in the quarterback market. The New Orleans Saints filled their need Monday, inking Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal. 2021 second-round pick Kyle Trask is the lone quarterback on Tampa Bay’s roster, while Carolina’s room is spearheaded by 2022 third-round pick Matt Corral. The Atlanta Falcons, meanwhile, are expected to give 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder a chance to compete for the starting job.
The Packers owe Rodgers $110 million on the three-year, $150 million contract extension he signed with the team last offseason. He will earn a $58.3 million bonus if he plays next season. A soft deadline of March 15, the day free agency begins, exists for Rodgers to make a decision.
