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In a week where a former second overall draft pick being traded to the Washington Commanders in the form of Carson Wentz was considered secondary news, the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers have all seen sizable developments at their own respective quarterback positions, but just who came out of this dramatic week in the strongest position?
Russell Wilson finally got his long-awaited wish for a trade away from the Seahawks as he gave his blessing to a deal with the Denver Broncos, with the Mile-High franchise finally getting a signal-caller worthy of replacing Peyton Manning.
Seattle, meanwhile, were able to claim valuable draft assets from Denver, including first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, as part of their own rebuilding process after the Wilson era came to an amicable end.
The move materialized in the hours following reports that Aaron Rodgers had indeed agreed to stay in Wisconsin with the Green Bay Packers, after months of speculation linking him with the Denver Broncos, even if the quarterback himself has since intimated that pen hasn’t yet been put to paper on an extension at Lambeau Field.
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Seattle look for the positives in rebuilding
It could be argued that the cracks started to appear in Pete Carroll’s dynasty in Seattle on the day they traded away prized center Max Unger, after losing Super Bowl XLIX to the New England Patriots.
In pursuit of a tight end who could perhaps have made a dramatic late catch against the Belichick machine, Carroll and co. sacrificed Russell Wilson’s greatest protector. Since then, Seahawks fans have been forced to watch their Super Bowl-winning quarterback frantically chase his own shadow to try and make things happen without a suitable offensive line.
This has, unfortunately for Carroll, coincided with the breakup of the famed Legion of Boom defensive setup, and the 2021 season’s 7-10 record made clear the need for a rebuild.
It’s very difficult to rebuild with an established quarterback on an incredibly expensive contract. You are sacrificing a lot of cap space on a player who won’t have the tools around them to achieve success. It’s a waste of the franchise’s time and a waste of the player’s, a conclusion which both parties have amicably reached.
Denver is ready to win with Wilson
Manning’s retirement ultimately cut-short the Broncos' resurgence under the stewardship of John Elway. The subsequent years have seen the Denver club tread water, despite having a roster that was set to win for years.
Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen, Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock have all tried and failed to take the place of the elder Manning brother in Denver. But patience with gambling under center has run out in the Broncos front-office.
The decision to acquire a veteran quarterback this off-season was made midway through the 2021 campaign, and was rubber stamped when Lock failed to drag the team into the playoffs. A 7-10 record is far below what their constructed roster is capable of, even if Von Miller departed at the trade deadline.
Denver’s roster is stacked, particularly on defense, with Michael Ojemudia, Bryce Callahan, Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby and Pat Surtain II dominating in the secondary.
The chance to re-sign Miller is also being debated in Denver amongst the Broncos front-office, especially with Wilson’s arrival giving the team a serious edge in free-agency. This is a team that has lacked an ice-cool quarterback to close games in recent years, yet Wilson is one of the very best and this is a massive boost to Denver's weakest position. They can now be seriously considered as candidates to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
Green Bay couldn’t afford to lose Rodgers and are Super Bowl candidates
The worst thing that could have happened to the Green Bay Packers this off-season would have been for Rodgers to leave Wisconsin, either through a trade or by retiring from the sport entirely. For this reason, it is very difficult not to conclude that the Green and Gold came out of this week in the strongest state, despite having done the least work.
Rodgers has won the MVP award in the last two seasons, despite being rather clearly unhappy with his situation at Lambeau Field. The 2021 season saw Rodgers’ nationwide popularity sink due to his COVID-19 vaccination fiasco, yet his relationship with the Packers front-office has cooled somewhat.
Paying Rodgers the highest ever NFL salary is a move that makes sense, especially when you just look at the struggles in Denver since Manning’s aforementioned retirement.
Quarterback is such an important position and if you have a great roster and the best quarterback in football, you do everything you can to keep it together.
The Pack will start the 2022 season as NFC Championship favourites, despite their capitulation in the 2021 playoffs, and Rodgers’ continuity is central to that prediction.
It would have been unthinkable for them to lose their MVP, even with Jordan Love waiting in the wings, and at the end of this week there are virtually no question marks surrounding the NFC North champions. The mark of a winning franchise.
