By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

The NFL offseason is now more than halfway complete. Between free agency, trades, and the draft it has been eventful as always. Teams have opened camps and players are coming together to start preparing for the upcoming season. The goal of every offseason for a GM is to make roster moves that will improve the team moving forward. Most of the GMs were able to accomplish that this year, but there are some that definitely did not. There are teams that will head into the 2021 season in a worse situation than 2020 because of decisions made by the GM of the team. Here are three that were the biggest losers this offseason.

Green Bay Packers: Brian Gutekunst

The Packers find themselves in a very messy situation right now, and that is mostly because Aaron Rodgers is unhappy with the direction of the team. He feels so strongly that he has not yet reported to the team for camp and rumor has it that he will refuse to play for them this year. He wants out of Green Bay and at least for now is apparently insisting that he would rather sit out this season than play for the Packers if he is not traded to another team. If Rodgers is this unhappy, it is an epic fail by the front office lead by Gutekunst.

Like it or not, when an organization is lucky enough to have a quarterback like Rodgers, they must do everything in their power to keep him happy. He is a once-in-a-lifetime type of player and widely considered a top-five quarterback in NFL history. He is a three-time NFL MVP, a Super Bowl champion, and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. For as long as he is there, the organization needs to cater to him. He gives the team a real chance to win every game each season no matter what the rest of the roster looks like. He is an absolute luxury and they should be grateful to have him. If organizational decisions have made Rodgers so unhappy that he refuses to play for them anymore, then Gutekunst failed massively at his job.

In addition to the Rodgers disaster, the Packers made some questionable roster moves this offseason as well. First, they gave running back Aaron Jones a big contract extension. This is a bit of an odd decision because they just used a second-round pick on AJ Dillon, who has looked good. The money used on Jones could have better been used to keep center Corey Linsley while transitioning the starting running back job to Dillon. The Packers also gave cornerback Kevin King an extension but still used a first-round draft pick on another corner, which is a questionable strategy as well. All things considered, Gutekunst had the worst offseason of any GM this year and if Rodgers really does not come back, it was historically terrible.

Indianapolis Colts: Chris Ballard

The Colts made an enormous gamble this offseason by trading for quarterback Carson Wentz, who struggled so much with the Eagles last season that he lost his starting job to rookie Jalen Hurts. A strong case can be made that Wentz was the worst starting quarterback in the entire NFL last season after throwing 15 interceptions in just 12 games and recording an abysmal 57 completion percentage. This didn’t stop Ballard from acquiring him in hopes that head coach Frank Reich could get Wentz back to his old form before the injuries and extreme drop-off in production. After all, Reich was with Wentz in Philadelphia when he was playing by far his football.

The idea that Wentz is going to magically return to an MVP candidate after how bad he has been, is a serious long shot. The move may have been worth the risk for Ballard if the price was cheap enough, but that is far from the case. Besides the huge financial burden that Wentz brings with him, which is over 20 million in 2021 and 27 million in 2022, the Colts had to surrender valuable draft picks as well. They sent to the Eagles a third-round pick in 2021 as well as a 2022 conditional pick that will be either a first or second-rounder. The condition is that if Wentz plays at least 75 percent of the snaps for the Colts this season, the pick becomes a first-rounder.

The condition set on the pick is a losing one for Ballard unless Wentz becomes a superstar immediately, which is highly unlikely right now. The Colts can only retain their first-round pick if Wentz does not play over 75 percent of the snaps. There are only two ways that can happen and neither of them is good. It would mean either Wentz once again got injured or he continues to play so terribly as he did with the Eagles that he loses his job in Indianapolis as well. If he does play enough snaps, he would have to have a spectacular season to justify the price tag of a first and third-round pick to go with a nearly 50 million dollar salary hit over the next two years. When weighing risk versus reward, this was a terrible trade by Ballard and is the reason why he was one of the biggest losers this offseason.

Las Vegas Raiders: Mike Mayock

What Mayock did to the Raiders offensive line this offseason was baffling. He turned one of the best units in the entire NFL into one of the worst and didn’t get any real value for it in return. Tackle Trent Brown and center Rodney Hudson are elite at their positions and two of the better offensive lineman in the entire league while guard Gabe Jackson is a very solid player as well. All three of them were traded away this offseason, in addition to two seventh-round draft picks, and in return, the Raiders received just one third-round pick and two fifth-round picks. Rebuilding and retooling is sometimes a good idea and maybe Mayock felt it was time to do that to the offensive line. The problem is not necessarily what he gave away but there is no denying that he did a terrible job at getting back proper value.

Since taking over as the GM of the Raiders, Mayock has been questionable at best when it comes to the NFL Draft. He has often reached on players by over-drafting them when they would likely be available for him to select at a later time. A good draft strategy should be about getting the best value for your selection and Mayock has not done a great job at that. This year was no different when he selected offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood with the 17th overall pick. He may very well be a great tackle in the NFL but if that was the guy they wanted, they could have traded down to get him while receiving additional draft capital at the same time. Mayock did an awful job at maximizing the value of his transactions and that is why he had one of the worst offseasons.

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By: Skyler Waterman

All we’ve been hearing since April 29^th is that Aaron Rodgers no longer wants to be a member of the Green Bay Packers and has asked to be traded this offseason. It’s been almost two weeks now though and it seems like there’s more smoke than actual fire to these rumors. Adam Schefter originally broke the news on April 29^th that team and league sources had informed him that Aaron Rodgers no longer wanted to play for the Green Bay Packers. However, since then, Schefter has backtracked on that statement. He openly admitted a week after the draft, on the Dan Patrick Show, that there was no source and that it was “just an accumulation of information throughout the course of the entire offseason.” Which essentially means this article was founded on nothing more than rumors and speculation. It is true that multiple teams have contacted the Packers regarding the availability of Aaron Rodgers, yet the Packers have held firm that they have no interest in trading the reigning league MVP.

Other teams’ interest in Rodgers

Tom Pelissero tweeted on April 29^th that the 49ers reached out to the Packers on potentially trading for Aaron Rodgers, but no offer was made, and a source stated that “there is a zero percent chance” that Green Bay trades Aaron Rodgers. Additionally, there were multiple reports that the Rams reached out to the Packers on the availability of Rodgers. In the same interview with Dan Patrick, Adam Schefter stated that the Rams were quickly rebuffed by the Packers front office, which eventually led to the Rams instead trading for Matthew Stafford. Many media outlets reported that multiple teams were reaching out to the Packers on draft day about a possible Aaron Rodgers trade, but Brian Gutekunst essentially debunked those myths in an interview with Peter King. Gutekunst stated that he received one phone call on Thursday, April 29^th, after the first round had concluded. He told them Rodgers wasn’t available via trade, and that was the end of the conversation.

            The Packers have stood their ground and for good reason. Aaron Rodgers still has three years remaining on his contract with the Green Bay Packers and was the MVP of the league in 2020, receiving 44 of the 50 MVP votes. The Packers also still have no idea what they have in quarterback Jordan Love. Despite being drafted 26^th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Packers have yet to see him take a snap in a Packers uniform. Love was inactive for every game of the season and remained the third-string quarterback behind Tim Boyle as a rookie. The Packers have also never seen Love in action during a preseason game, as the preseason was canceled last season due to COVID-19. For this very reason, the Packers front office is especially hesitant to the idea of moving on from Aaron Rodgers.

What would it cost to trade Aaron Rodgers?

            The financial ramifications of an Aaron Rodgers trade are yet another reason why it is extremely unlikely that he would be traded anytime in the near future. If the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers today, they would carry a $38,356,000 dead cap, while also losing $1,154,000 in cap space. If the Packers considered trading Aaron Rodgers on June 2^nd or later, they would still create a dead cap of $38.3 million, but would now spread it out between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. They would carry a $21,152,000 dead cap in 2021, as well as a $17,204,000 dead cap in 2022. Meanwhile, the Packers would only gain $16,050,000 in available cap space in 2021. None of those are ideal scenarios for the Green Bay Packers. If the Packers do intend on eventually trading Aaron Rodgers, it will almost certainly not be until the start of the 2022 NFL league year. If the Packers traded Aaron Rodgers during the 2022 league year, they would carry a $17,204,000 dead cap, but would also create $22,648,000 in available cap space. If Brian Gutekunst has plans of trading Aaron Rodgers in the future, this is when it will happen. This was most likely his original plan when he drafted Jordan Love twelve months ago. Rodgers’s completion percentage, passer rating, and QBR had decreased in efficiency for three consecutive seasons when Gutekunst decided to draft Love. However, since then, Rodgers produced one of his greatest seasons as a Packer, and Love has failed to impress.

            For those very reasons, we have seen the Packers re-affirm their desire to continue with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback. Back in January, Mark Murphy stated “We’re not idiots. Aaron Rodgers will be back, he’s, our leader.” Brian Gutekunst has been firm on his stance that Aaron Rodgers is not available via trade. The Packers know Rodgers gives them the best chance of success both in 2021 and beyond. Now they need to commit to him long-term. Rodgers knows they’re only technically committed to him through the 2021 NFL season with how his contract is structured. He wants a longer commitment from the Packers, and they’ve begun to address this issue. According to Bob McGinn of The Athletic, the Packers have offered Rodgers a deal that would make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. The question now is whether this deal has guarantees beyond the 2021 NFL season. Rodgers stated back in 2017 that he plans to play in the NFL through the age of 45, just like Tom Brady. That means he could potentially play eight more seasons in the NFL. He’s currently only 37 years old. Thus, understandably, he wants the Packers to commit to him beyond the age of 38.

The Drafting of Jordan Love

Herein lies the greatest issue. The Packers spent a first-round pick on Jordan Love. Jordan Love will be entering year two of his four-year contract (not including his fifth-year option) as Aaron Rodgers backup once again if they do not trade either player. If the Packers commit to Aaron Rodgers long term, they’re essentially giving up on what Jordan Love could become. So much of Aaron Rodgers frustrations can be attributed to Brian Gutekunst’s selection of Jordan Love. Rodgers made public statements that he wanted to play for the Packers until he was 45, and yet despite that commitment to the franchise, the Packers drafted his successor only four months after his 36^th birthday. Rodgers led the Packers to the NFC Championship for the fourth time in his career, and instead of improving the Packers championship hopes in 2020, they traded up in the first round for a quarterback.

Drafting Love to replace Rodgers vs Drafting Rodgers to replace Favre

            Now some people might foolishly state that he should have expected this and that it was no different than when Ted Thompson drafted Aaron Rodgers while still having Brett Favre under contract, and those people couldn’t be more wrong. As was previously stated before, Aaron Rodgers fully intends to play football until at least 2028. The Packers drafted Jordan Love in 2020. Whereas Brett Favre had been flirting with the idea of retiring ever since 2002. In December of 2002, Favre hinted that he might retire if he won his second Super Bowl with the Packers that year. Two years before they drafted Aaron Rodgers. In January of 2005, after a playoff loss to the Vikings, Favre told the Packers he needed time to ponder his future. It wasn’t until March that Favre announced he would return for the 2005 NFL season. The uncertainty of Favre’s future in Green Bay after 2005, was what led to the eventual selection of Aaron Rodgers. Again, in 2006 Favre didn’t announce he would return to the team until April. It wasn’t until Favre officially announced his retirement in March of 2008 that Aaron Rodgers was named the starting quarterback. It was only then after Rodgers had been handed the keys, that Favre decided he wanted to return to the NFL. Ted Thompson responded by saying that Favre would be the backup quarterback if he returned, and thus Favre asked to be traded.

            Now how does that sound in any way similar to the quarterback, who states at the age of 34, that he wants to play until he’s 45? Only to then see his organization draft his eventual successor two years later. Not only did they draft his successor, but they also traded up four spots in the first round of the NFL Draft to do so. Some Packers fans will foolheartedly try and tell you that Gutekunst wasn’t doing anything that Ted Thompson wouldn’t have done, however, Ted Thompson never once traded up in the first-round of the NFL Draft. He did trade for an additional first round pick once, but that was a move to acquire outside linebacker, Clay Matthews. A move that filled a large hole on the defensive front seven as they transitioned from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense.

When Brian Gutekunst traded up for Jordan Love it was reckless and irresponsible. When Aaron Rodgers fell to the Packers at 24^th overall it came as a shock to everyone. Many expected him to be one of the first players selected in the 2005 NFL Draft. The same cannot be said for Jordan Love. The opinions on Love were drastically varied. Some didn’t believe he was worthy of a first-round selection while others thought he could be a top ten pick. The Packers have always been a team whose philosophy has been to take the best player available, but it has always been the best player available who fits a team need. Gutekunst strayed from this formula in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The rift between Aaron Rodgers and Brian Gutekunst

            It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that there is a stern distrust between Aaron Rodgers and Brian Gutekunst. Not only did Gutekunst go behind Aaron Rodgers back when he drafted Jordan Love, but he also went behind the back of head coach Matt LaFleur. It’s never a good sign when the General Manager isn’t even incorporating the opinion of his play-caller when decided to draft a franchise quarterback. The Packers named Brian Gutekunst the Packers General Manager in January of 2018, and his first action as GM was to release Aaron Rodgers most trusted wide receiving target in Jordy Nelson. This decision was likely made without the approval of Rodgers and likely was not a good first impression. The next thing he did was trade for a quarterback. Giving up starting cornerback Damarious Randall for backup quarterback DeShone Kizer. Looking back, I think we all know who won that trade, and it wasn’t Green Bay. The following year the Packers failed to offer Randall Cobb a contract when he entered free agency, something that I’m sure also disappointed Rodgers.

The Packers had a chance to make up for that in the 2019 NFL Draft. They had parted ways with both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, two of Rodgers favorite targets, but had a chance to draft their successors, yet failed to do so in 2019 by not drafting a single receiver. The Packers again could have addressed wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft, but instead drafted a quarterback, running back, and fullback in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft. They once again didn’t draft a single wide receiver in the 2020 NFL Draft. The final straw that broke the camel’s back, was when the Packers released wide receiver Jake Kumerow, only one day after Rodgers praised Kumerow as one of the four receivers who would be a lock to make the roster.

Conclusion

            Ultimately the Packers aren’t going to trade Aaron Rodgers. He can either retire at the age of 37 or continue to play for the Packers in 2021. What should happen, is the Packers should extend Aaron Rodgers, guaranteeing his contract for multiple seasons and make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. Matt LaFleur should be given full control of the Packers player personnel decisions. The Lafleur-Rodgers marriage has been successful the past two years. Together they’ve accomplished a 26-6 win-loss record in the regular season and reached two consecutive NFC Championship games. Brian Gutekunst can head the scouting department and have the final say on players selected in the NFL Draft, meanwhile, Lafleur will be in charge of cutting the roster down from 90 to 53 each season. These changes should mend the bridge between Rodgers and the Packers and allow for continued success in Green Bay. Will that happen? Probably not, but should this happen? Absolutely.

            If we see no organizational changes to the Green Bay Packers and a disgruntled Aaron Rodgers returns this season, expect this to be Aaron Rodgers “Last Dance” in Green Bay. Making one final attempt to win a Super Bowl before getting traded in 2022 and thus beginning the Jordan Love era in Wisconsin.

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