The Los Angeles Rams wasted no time going through with their new plans under center by replacing Jared Goff with Matthew Stafford in a trade with the Detroit Lions.
Stafford gives the Rams a proven gunslinger at quarterback that should help them kick things up a notch on offense and maintain their Super Bowl expectations this offseason. Despite quickly moving forward with the decision, reports indicate that the front office was doing its due diligence on all the options that were seemingly on the table.
Among the notable rumors that had begun to swirl was their potential interest in Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Before landing Stafford, L.A. had reportedly inquired about adding Rodgers as the new centerpiece of their offense.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky though, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst shot down any notion that he had negotiations regarding the Rams’ attempt to trade for Rodgers:
Brian Gutekunst said there's "no truth" to the report that the Rams inquired about Aaron Rodgers via trade.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) February 1, 2021
There has been plenty of speculation regarding Green Bay’s plans under center ever since they traded up to take quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. As a result, Love has been pegged as Rodgers’ successor to take over the offense in the near future.
Rodgers is coming off back-to-back trips to the NFC Championship Game and is the top candidate to take home MVP honors following a stellar 2020 NFL season. As a result, this has spurred Gutekunst to double down on the future Hall of Famer as their signal-caller for the foreseeable future.
The notion that the Packers did not even up negotiate on Rodgers with the Rams only helps solidify the prospect that he is not going anywhere this offseason. However, it remains to be seen if the feeling is mutual on both sides given all that has transpired as of late.
Either way, the report is indicative of the Rams’ efforts to secure the best option possible at quarterback after falling short against Rodgers in the NFC divisional round.
