Aaron Rodgers may come back and play football in 2023. Or he may not. If he does come back, there is a growing belief around the NFL that the Green Bay Packers will trade the future Hall of Fame quarterback. In fact, current sports books do not even have the Packers as the favorite to have Rodgers under center in 2023. The team with the best odds, the Las Vegas Raiders, was one of the central subjects of a recent mock draft by CBS Sports that saw them send multiple draft picks to Green Bay.
The Proposed Aaron Rodgers Trade to the Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders Receive
- Aaron Rodgers
Packers Receive
- 2023 first round pick (seventh overall)
- 2023 third round pick
- 2024 first, second, and fourth round picks (if Rodgers commits to playing that season)
The Packers Use Two First Round Picks to Fill Immediate Needs
If this trade scenario were to come to fruition, the Packers would have the seventh and fifteenth picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. In this mock draft, the Packers would use the seventh overall pick to draft safety Brian Branch from Alabama. They would then use the fifteenth selection to draft tight end Luke Musgrove from Oregon State.
Branch is considered to be the best safety in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Packers have a serious lack of depth of safety as Adrian Amos and Rudy Ford are free agents. Darnell Savage was benched as a safety last season, but played better as a slot corner when he was inserted back into the lineup. Savage, of course, was the last safety that the Packers drafted in the first round of any draft.
Musgrove is considered to be the fourth-best tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft. As with safety, this is a position in which the Packers have a serious lack of depth. Josiah Deguara is the only tight end under contract with Green Bay that has any NFL game experience. Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, and Tyler Davis are all free agents. It seems to be a popular trend to mock a tight end to the Packers in round one. However, that has not happened in reality in a long time. Bubba Franks, drafted in 2000, was the last tight end drafted by the Packers in the first round. For reference, Green Bay last took a wide receiver in round one in 2002.
In other words, the Branch pick makes sense given the Packers’ drafting history. The Musgrove pick does not.
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FAQs
Will the Green Bay Packers Make the 2023 NFL Playoffs?
According to sportsbooks, the Green Bay Packers are currently ninth overall (+3000) to win the 2024 Super Bowl. This is the highest among 2022 non-playoff teams, signaling they’ll be playoff-bound.
Who Do the Green Bay Packers Play in 2023?
Aside from their divisional opponents (Vikings, Lions, and Bears), whom they place twice, the Packers play the Saints, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Chargers, and Rams at home in 2023. They’ll travel on the road to face the Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, Giants, and Steelers.
Who Owns the Green Bay Packers?
The team is owned by Green Bay Packers, Inc., a publicly owned and traded non-profit. There are currently over 360,000 stockholders. Mark Murphy currently holds the role of Packers president and CEO, with plans to retire in 2025.
How Many Super Bowls Have the Packers Won?
The Packers have won four Super Bowls. These victories include Super Bowl 1 and Super Bowl 2 after the 1966 and 1967 seasons. Their next title came in Super Bowl 31, following the 1996 season. Their most recent championship was Super Bowl 45, crowning them the winners of the 201o season.
