3 reasons why NFL teams were better off not trading for Aaron Rodgers 

Aaron Rodgers has been a member of the Green Bay Packers organization since being drafted into the NFL in 2005. But the last few years have particularly strained the relationship between the franchise and its franchise star.

It has been a mildly toxic relationship between the quarterback and the team that gave him the keys to the offense and forced away an NFL legend (Brett Favre) to facilitate his arrival. So much so that other teams have avoided dealing for the four-time MVP despite him making it clear that he's less than enthused about being in Green Bay.

Here are three reasons NFL teams were better off not trading for Aaron Rodgers.

#1: Aaron Rodgers uses the media to communicate and lies while he's at it

Aaron Rodgers plays games through the media.

Time and again, the Green Bay No. 12 has taken to the media to vent his frustrations when things aren't going the way he likes. In 2018, upon signing a record contract extension worth $134 million with Green Bay that ran through the 2023 season, Rodgers said he "doesn't think this guarantees anything other than maybe the first three years of the deal."

Considering the year is 2022 and he's still a member of the Packers, it's clear he was merely saying that to keep his employer honest. This wasn't the first time he said something he knew wasn't true.

Here's what Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show after the Davante Adams trade this past offseason (h/t CBS Sports):

"I thought that based on the number that we offered Davante and being able to play with me for a few more years would make a difference, but in the end I think he was ready to move on and wanted my help in making that happen. It was a tough position to be in, for sure, because I love him and I care about him and I want him to be happy, and he's definitely going to be missed."

But this is what Ian Rapoport reported in the aftermath of Adams' trade to the Raiders:

"While Aaron Rodgers was negotating his contract, he knew Davante Adams would never play for the Packers again. The situation was too far gone. Something had to give. And when Adams informed GB he wasn’t playing on the tag, talks got fired up. Now, Adams will be on the Raiders."

Rodgers has often used the media to communicate, shunning direct communication with the Packers in favor of controlling the narrative—but in the process, he has lied several times.

#2: The price in a trade would be astronomical

The price for Aaron Rodgers would be exorbitant.

Any team hoping to deploy the long-time Packers signal-caller would need to pay a premium to bring him aboard, based on what other (lesser) quarterbacks are bringing back in trades.

The Browns acquired Deshaun Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick from the Texans in exchange for first-round picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024 along with a 2023 third-rounder and 2022 and 2024 fourth-round selections.

The Broncos traded Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, two first-round picks (2022—No. 9 overall—and 2023), two second-round picks (2022—No. 40 overall—and 2023), and a 2022 fifth-round selection to the Seahawks for Russell Wilson.

A Rodgers trade would require even more assets than those two deals considering he's coming off two consecutive MVP seasons. That's a lot to give up for a guy who might turn around and cast doubt on his time with your team.

#3: There's no guarantee a championship would be the result

Aaron Rodgers has won just one Super Bowl in a Packers uniform

The price that the Broncos paid to land Russell Wilson is justifiable because the former Seahawks signal-caller has a sterling reputation as a hard worker that wants to win.

Tampa Bay and Denver carving out the cap space to sign Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, respectively, in the past decade have paid off in championships.

Can you live with yourself exhausting resources for Rodgers after watching him fail to even reach the Super Bowl every year for the last 11? Particularly when he just ignored team protocols last season as his teammates had to put up with the league's COVID-19 rules?

Rodgers is one of the most special talents to ever suit up in the NFL, but his skills are accompanied by a free-thinking mind that isn't always overly concerned about his team's wishes and desires.