NFL: 49ers inquire about trading for Aaron Rodgers

The San Francisco 49ers have brought a high level of excitement and fun to the NFL offseason. If it wasn’t clear enough by now, the 49ers have all but moved on from incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who was the team’s starting quarterback when they made the Super Bowl two short seasons ago. That fact was hammered home even more prevalently by a report today stating that the team had called the Green Bay Packers to inquire about the availability of future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers, who has only played for the Packers in his entire 16-year NFL career, has wondered out loud about whether he would be afforded the opportunity to retire in Green Bay. The Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and might look to insert him into the lineup in the next few years. The chatter about Rodgers' future with the team only got louder on Thursday afternoon, after reports indicated that the veteran quarterback might be looking to move on from Green Bay as soon as possible.

Although the Packers are unlikely to accept overtures to trade Rodgers, a trade to San Francisco would be a homecoming of sorts for the Northern California native. Rodgers grew up in Chico, which is just under a three-hour drive from San Francisco. The legendary quarterback played his college football at the University of California Berkley, right across the bay from downtown San Francisco. If Rodgers ever were to finish his career with the 49ers, it would be a fitting end to an incredible football story.

For the 49ers, they have much more pressing business to attend to with the 2021 NFL Draft this evening. In late March, they traded two future first-round picks, among other draft capital, to obtain the number three overall pick in Thursday’s draft. This will put San Francisco in prime position to select a new franchise quarterback to replace Garoppolo.

The hefty package to move up indicates that the 49ers feel they are an upgrade at quarterback away from getting back into contender status in the NFC. There are conflicting reports about who San Francisco prefers to draft with the third pick. Ohio State’s Justin Fields, Alabama’s Mac Jones, and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance all appear to have a chance at becoming the newest 49ers quarterback by the end of the night. San Francisco can only hope that the player they select develops into a talent who is half as good as what Aaron Rodgers has proven to be in his career.