INDIANAPOLIS — The Green Bay Packers are doing everything they can to maintain the Aaron Rodgers era. This we know.

Sources with several teams that have an interest in acquiring the future Hall of Fame quarterback remain skeptical that he will see the market. What they do know for sure is that the Packers brass are trying to figure out ways to keep Rodgers and keep at least a healthy semblance of the roster intact to make a Lombardi run with him in 2022. According to these managers rival generals, the Packers will do whatever they have to do to create enough room for franchise star receiver Davante Adams, knowing that any Rodgers recruiting plan that doesn’t include Adams is a lost cause.

“They’re going to do whatever it takes to franchise the receiver,” a general manager said.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether this is enough. Other teams are betting on Rodgers staying in Green Bay, but he’s the ultimate wild card. He tends to go to extremes and take things very personally and it’s not out of the question that he goes through this long process sending every overt signal that he wants to stay with the only team he’s ever had. known… only to cut the rug on everyone in the Green Bay front office and demand a trade anyway.

Nothing’s over until it’s over with this guy. But within the industry, the assumption is that there will be a resolution on this very soon and that Rodgers will get all the money he wants to stay in Green Bay.

Don’t count on Bucs to make a splash move after Brady

With Tom Brady retiring, there’s no easy way to replace him in Tampa Bay. It’s not like two years ago when Brady — and guys like Drew Brees and Philip Rivers — abounded as potential quick fixes in the free agent market.

As Bucs coach Bruce Arians told me, “There’s no No. 2 gate this year.” And Arians made it clear that Tampa has been looking at some potential trades for a veteran quarterback, and the prospects aren’t great that they’ll reach an agreement on trade terms in that market. Rumors persist that Brady could soon return to action, but the Arians can’t count on that and don’t think it will happen. Of course, he would appreciate such a call or SMS.

“It would shock me, but I would say, ‘Come back, baby! Let’s go! “, He said.

The most likely outcome, however, could be the Bucs staying inside. Veteran Blaine Gabbert and young Kyle Trask are now on the roster. And while I think the Bucs will add some quarterback — Gardner Minshew, Mitchell Trubisky — I’m starting to take Arians at their word on this team’s position at QB. Arians seems genuinely excited about Trask’s development after selecting him a year ago, and how a year supporting Brady could help his development.

I wouldn’t bet on the Bucs doing anything super splashy after Brady.

Cardinals’ Kingsbury, Murray facing uphill

Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury is trying to downplay the odd dynamic at play in what has already become a tumultuous and difficult offseason for his team after just a few weeks. But this dynamic is complicated. He and quarterback Kyler Murray share representation by the same agent – at a time when Murray has gone very public, via this representation, in his desire for a massive new deal, while Kingsbury also enters a year pivotal point for his own future as the NFL. the head coach. Cunning.

As we told you a few weeks ago when Murray’s social media cleanup on all things Cardinals unfolded, it’s all about the money. It’s about Murray, the first pick in the 2019 draft, being paid at the level he feels he’s worth after three years of ups and downs in the league, and the franchise is in no rush to pay him 40. million dollars per year. That’s the problem. And Murray is not happy that it’s not a smooth and easy process, and that he might need to play it on his rookie contract (with a fifth-year option looming), hence all the passive antics aggressive.

“I think if you look across the landscape, everyone has a part of that, and it’s part of their expression,” Kingsbury said of Murray’s icy offseason with the team during his session. media at the combine. Kingsbury also expressed confidence that the quarterback will be “very motivated to be a much better player next year.”

But he doesn’t seem very enthusiastic about doing this as part of his rookie contract. Murray has every right to have his opinion and to handle this however he wishes, and eliminating your team from The Gram has become a go-to decision for aggrieved players. No reason to panic about this. But that’s also not your normal scenario for a whole host of reasons, and while Kingsbury can talk about separation of church and state, if you will, when speaking with Agent Erik Burkhardt about his own personal affairs the fact is he came to Arizona with Kyler on a package deal they are related in a way that goes beyond most other coaches and quarterbacks and that complicates the things.

Bottom line, Coach and QB could face a steep climb to cash in this offseason. Early indications are that they already are.

More Combine Insider Notes

• Jimmy Garoppolo requiring shoulder surgery will most certainly impact what has already been a fairly lukewarm trade market for him. A frequently injured player requiring another procedure, and doing so at a time when his team is looking to knock him down, is not a good time. And availability has always been the problem with Jimmy G. Not having him on the field for the start of your offseason job, as a new starting quarterback after a trade, is problematic. Sources said Garoppolo will undergo the procedure shortly and should be able to start in early July and “should be sold out at the start of the regular season, or just then”, which is not ideal. Two GMs sniffing out quarterbacks basically told me the same thing about what they thought Garoppolo was worth before news of his surgery broke. “I don’t think they get more than a four (fourth-round pick),” one told me. “Maybe a four that goes to a three (with prompts),” said another. Maybe these GMs are trying to undervalue, but a bigger part of me thinks San Francisco is facing a scenario where the returns for dealing the QB aren’t as great as the risk of not getting another QB. of his caliber on the list…
• Broncos general manager George Paton made it clear he was doing everything he could to get up to speed at quarterback, but the more he talked, the clearer it became how difficult it would be, especially if Rodgers and Russell Wilson stay put. “We’re going to be aggressive,” Paton said at one point during his media availability, adding another cliche about leaving no stone unturned. Better still, “we’re going to exhaust all options to try and get the best guy,” pointing to free agency, trades and the draft. In the end, he, like the other GMs, could be stuck with the draft…
• Outgoing Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert faces the same reality and seems to embrace it. “I think it’s a class of quality,” he said of the 2022 draft-eligible quarterbacks. “There’s going to be NFL starting quarterbacks coming out of this draft.” Of course, diagnosing who they are is the hardest part. Personally, I’d go after Jameis Winston if I were the Steelers, but regardless, Colbert is just the man to try and solve this conundrum on the way out as he winds down his Hall of Fame career.