Former NFL GM speaks out on rumors that Bill Belichick was in on Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes

Did Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots consider trading for Aaron Rodgers? According to former NFL GM turned analyst Michael Lombardi, no.

Lombardi was a guest on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday morning and said that he doesn't believe that Belichick made a move for the quarterback.

He noted that the longtime Patriots head coach has great respect for the 39-year-old quarterback. But, that trading for him, especially at this point in his career, likely wasn't a scenario for New England.

Lombardi stated that he feels that New England is truly focused on how they can help Mac Jones get better. Adding that their offense has been the key this offseason.

"I don't get the sense doing what was in on, Aaron. I think certainly they have great respect for Aaron, you know, as a player. But I don't think at that point I think New England was going through the offseason of what were they going to do with their offense, how could they make Mac Jones better and try to clear up the problems that they went through last year in terms of coordinating the offense? I think once that season ended, it became more of a scheme reality than a coaching reality."

The 63-year-old went on to say that Rodgers and Drew Bledsoe have the same agent and that if a deal were possible, it wouldn't have been difficult.

"And you know, Dave Dunne, who represents Aaron Rodgers, also represented Drew Bledsoe at the Patriots at one time. So, you know, I don't know what his relationship is within that building. Certainly he has a lot of say in terms of what teams could be interested."

Lombardi went on to say that Rodgers and Drew Bledsoe have the same agent and that if a deal were possible, it wouldn't have been difficult.

"But I don't think on the timeline that that would be conducive to where the Patriots were going. I mean, if you're interested in Aaron Rodgers, then I think you're also interested in other quarterbacks and that wasn't the case or what the evidence supports after Rodgers was already available."

Lombardi finished by essentially saying that he sees the Patriots sticking with their young quarterback and building around him. So, trading for a veteran quarterback isn't really the direction they are headed. His comments dispute an earlier report that stated otherwise.

---

Did QB Aaron Rodgers veto a trade to the Patriots?

Michael Lombardi's comments about Aaron Rodgers and the Patriots come after news regarding the quarterback surfaced. According to Fox Sports, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback vetoed a trade to the Patriots before he went to the Jets.

Rodgers' agent reportedly rejected the deal in honor of his client. This is an interesting report as the quarterback stated his intentions back in March.

At the time, telling "The Pat McAfee Show" that he intended to play for the New York Jets next season. Since the trade talks between the Jets and Packers stalled at one point, the Pats thought they could swoop in.