Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers is sacked by Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Tampa, Florida.
Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers is sacked by Lavonte David #54 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Tampa, Florida.

The Green Bay Packers’ loss in the divisional playoffs might very well have been the team’s last game with Aaron Rodgers under center. After a tumultuous offseason and another disappointing postseason elimination, Rodgers’ NFL future might be with another team.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has said that the organization wants Rodgers back. Rodgers said he’ll take time to decide what he wants to do for the 2022 season. If the three-time MVP asks for a trade, Green Bay is expected to oblige.

Rodgers would have no shortage of suitors, though a few stand out as the most likely destinations. The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers are the most logical teams that Rodgers could play for, if he doesn’t return to Green Bay in 2022.

When it was revealed that Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay last year, the Broncos were named as a team he wanted to join. The 2021 season only strengthened the idea that Denver is in need of a new starting quarterback.

Drew Lock’s 79.3 passer rating in three seasons since being drafted suggests that he isn’t Denver’s quarterback of the future. Teddy Bridgewater was steady at times as the Broncos’ starter this past season, but he wasn’t good enough to get Denver into the playoffs.

Only two teams gave up fewer points than the Broncos in the regular season. Denver has a strong receiving corps. Adding Rodgers to the roster could immediately make the Broncos a playoff team, at the very least.

Pittsburgh was a quarterback away from being a title contender this season. The Steelers backed their way into the playoffs, despite Ben Roethlisberger looking like a shell of his former self. In what’s expected to be his final season, Roethlisberger posted an 86.8 passer rating, his worst mark for a full season in 13 years.

Defensive Player of the Year favorite T.J. Watt and an array of talented receivers helped Pittsburgh earn the AFC’s final wild-card spot. The 2003 season was the last time the Steelers finished below .500. If Pittsburgh trades for Rodgers, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills might be the only AFC teams with better Super Bowl odds than the Steelers.

It’s possible that Rodgers chooses to run it back in Green Bay for one more year. The Packers had the NFL’s best record before being upset by the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. Rodgers is favored to win his second straight MVP award. His frustrations with the team and 11 straight years without a Super Bowl appearance make it likely for both sides to move on.

Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers

Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images