Jerry Rice Slams the Door Shut on Aaron Rodgers Joining the 49ers
Since the Green Bay Packers lost in the NFC championship game, the chatter has been around Aaron Rodgers‘ future. The star quarterback voiced uncertainty concerning what lies ahead of him in Green Bay. With that conversation brewing, former San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice has chimed in on the situation.
Aaron Rodgers expresses uncertainty over Packers’ future
Following another disappointing playoff exit, the Green Bay Packers are heading into an offseason filled with disappointment.
The franchise is also dealing with some chatter of uncertainty around star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. After the loss, Rodgers voiced that he doesn’t know what lies ahead in Green Bay.
That alone created a litany of rumors around the possible scenarios ahead for the likely 2020 season MVP. The conversation has quickly seen potential several landing spots emerge. With that in mind, Former 49ers great Jerry Rice has quickly silenced any chatter of Rodgers pushing his way to San Francisco.
Jerry Rice shuts down talk of Aaron Rodgers joining the 49ers
The fallout from Aaron Rodgers’ comments after the NFC championship game loss immediately created trade rumors around the star quarterback.
The San Francisco 49ers were among the teams mentioned as a potential landing spot for the 37-year-old. During a recent interview on 95.7 The Game, Hall of Fame wideout Jerry Rice quickly downplayed any possibility of that scenario coming to fruition. (H/T Radio.com)
“Aaron is not going to want to come here,” Rice said on Monday. “Aaron is not going to want to come here because the 49ers didn’t draft him. He’s still got that grudge. He’s still got that on his shoulders. I’m not saying this guy is not going to stay in Green Bay because it’s got to be frustrating to him because he has lost the last two championship games.”
Rice is pinpointing that the 49ers elected to take Alex Smith instead with the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. It’s well documented that Rodgers grew up a 49ers fan, hoping to get drafted by his favorite childhood team.
However, there is something to Rodgers wanting to win another championship with the Packers. During his weekly interview on the Pat McAfee Show this week, he stated that he still hopes to play his entire career in Green Bay.
At this point, it’s hard to envision that the Packers move off Rodgers after an MVP season, but a departure could play out at some point down the road.
San Francisco’s future under center
The bigger question around the situation is that the 49ers have some lingering doubt concerning Jimmy Garoppolo’s future.
Garoppolo is coming off an injury-plagued 2020 season that saw him miss nine games due to ankle issues. The 29-year-old has only played in one full season over the last three campaigns. That, coupled with his contract standing with the 49ers, isn’t favorable by any means.
Garoppolo is heading into the fourth year of his five-year, $137.5 million deal with only a $2.8 million dead cap hit for the 2021 season. The number then drops to only $1.4 million for 2022, which only creates more uncertainty around his future in San Francisco.
The 49ers haven’t expressed any doubt around his status for 2021, but it’s hard to look past the team’s lack of financial commitment on his remaining contract. The next several weeks will be quite telling of where the team stands with him under center.
Contract numbers courtesy Spotrac.
