Another day, another prediction for where New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will end up once he’s officially released from the team, which should happen any day now.
One place we haven’t seen Rodgers linked to is the Cleveland Browns, a team that is in dire straits for several reasons. Not only does Deshaun Watson and the team as a whole stink, but Cleveland is also facing a situation in which it might have to trade superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett, who wants out.
At this point, Watson, who is possibly set to miss the entire 2025 campaign after suffering a setback in his recovery from a torn Achilles, should not preclude the Browns from doing literally anything at the quarterback position.
The most likely scenario will see the Browns draft a quarterback at No. 2 overall, but they could also add a veteran bridge option to the room, something the team is lacking with Jameis Winston set to hit the open market.
With all that in mind, TWSN’s Marissa Myers thinks Rodgers and the Browns will hook up in free agency.
With adding Rodgers, they would have to perform some cap gymnastics with currently having -$30,168,764 in cap space, but they need to do what it takes to have a veteran quarterback on the roster. With Rodgers being a free agent, they don’t have to give up draft capital to trade for him, plus Rodgers in Kevin Stefanski’s scheme would be able to lead it efficiently with just having to rely on the ground game.
Signing Rodgers would also allow them to draft a quarterback still early on in the 2025 NFL Draft, but avoid the need to rush that quarterback’s development. This would also allow the rookie time to watch and learn under a future Hall of Fame quarterback, creating an ideal scenario for Cleveland.
Because anything with a pulse would be better than Watson, Rodgers would offer a massive upgrade under center for Cleveland. Furthermore, making a win-now move like adding Rodgers might convince Garrett to stay.
It’s true that the Browns are in salary cap hell, but with Rodgers still getting paid a nice chunk of change from the Jets, it’s possible he’d come very cheap, and quite possibly as cheap as Russell Wilson did for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.
With Rodgers in the fold, he wouldn’t preclude the Browns from drafting a signal-caller, as the future Hall of Famer isn’t likely to be around for more than one year. Cleveland could grab their guy in the draft and sit him behind Rodgers for a season.
Now, stepping back into reality: Rodgers landing with the Browns is about as likely as the Sun not rising in the morning.
The 10-time Pro Bowler has made it quite clear he wants a chance to win wherever he lands, and the Browns won’t be able to offer him that. Cleveland has a bad team as is, and their financial constraints won’t allow them to remedy that.
Sorry, Browns fans, Aaron Rodgers is not going to Cleveland, barring him having literally no other options to turn to.
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