Patriots: Insider predicts Aaron Rodgers will be Pats QB in 2021
By Adam Weinrib
Aaron Rodgers will be the next great Patriots quarterback. You heard it here second.
NFL fans across the country have long been upset that we never saw the greatest untapped QB rivalry of this generation in an epic Super Bowl. Patriots vs. Packers. Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers. A winner-take-all eternal power rankings battle.
That contest will never materialize at the highest level; both signal-callers are in the NFC … for now, at least.
But Patriots fans are set up perfectly, with their newfound cap space and vacancy at the top, to run their own little simulation to determine supremacy between the two legends of the game.
Ladies and gentlemen, the next great cause of Patriots haters’ head explosions: Aaron Rodgers, the Pats QB for next season. It’s possible, it’s real, and it’s spectacular.
Wednesday's Mashup: @christianfauria says Aaron Rodgers next Pats QB - @FitzyGFY https://t.co/C559FloFMf
— WEEI (@WEEI) August 5, 2020
Yes, WEEI’s Christian Fauria became the latest to declare this week that Rodgers will be joining the Patriots in 2021, as his massive contract begins to nag Green Bay, a team that blindsided him by preparing his replacement in the 2020 draft and selecting Jordan Love.
Does that seem like a franchise hellbent on sending their own legend into a cushy retirement, bearing the burden of their long-term deal? Doesn’t seem like it to me.
The 2020 Patriots will not be bad enough with Cam Newton under center, even after a rash of opt-outs, to tank for Trevor Lawrence. It’s not in the franchise’s blood, anyway. What’s far more likely, though, is that Newton plays well, leads the Pats to a solid-but-not-wonderful season, walks for a larger deal elsewhere, and ushers in Rodgers to the QB spot, with a veteran-laden team in tow.
"Can we say this? Aaron Rodgers -- the next #Patriots QB"
— Jones & Mego with Arcand (@JonesandMego) August 4, 2020
--@christianfauria
Back in 2018, Ian ‘O Connor first foisted this Rodgers-Belichick package upon us.
Suddenly, in 2021, it’s becoming not only a possibility, but a realistic one. The Pats’ cap space keeps increasing by the day, even seemingly by accident — thanks, Antonio Brown and Aaron Hernandez grievances!
Even in a worst-case scenario where Newton meets every incentive and the cap drops like crazy as economic restrictions take hold, post-COVID, the Patriots still seem to have $45 million in cap space available for 2021. Rodgers has a $36 million cap figure next year that must be absorbed, but if he struggles, the dead cap will be far lower the year after.
He won’t, though. It’s a perfect fit, and the Patriots have ALL the room necessary. Sorry, haters. It’s time for you to get used to this.
Will Rodgers dare rock No. 12, though?