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It’s going to be a long, long day, folks. There’s no adequate way to prepare for this chaos; you just have to appreciate it.
There were early reports on Thursday that the 49ers contacted the Packers about Aaron Rodgers, coming from Bill Michaels, a former long-running Milwaukee sports radio host, and Paul Allen, another Minnesota sports radio host.
The @49ers have offered the @Packers the 3rd overall pick in this year's draft, plus other picks and a number of players from their current roster including Garoppolo
for Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers turned them down.
First reported by @PAOnTheMic and confirmed by others.— Bill Michaels (@Bill_Michaels) April 29, 2021
However, none of the more reliable NFL reporters chimed in on it, leaving the question as to how legitimate this report was. Then, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero chimed in and confirmed it, though said there was no formal offer on the table.
#Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said this week “Aaron is our guy. He’s going to be our quarterback for the foreseeable future.”
The #49ers still shot their shot, before presumably taking a QB with the No. 3 pick tonight. https://t.co/hsqmsU18bI
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 29, 2021
Obviously, though, a trade for Rodgers would have had to include the No. 3 overall pick. It’s a pretty stunning move to call the Packers the day before the draft, after you have presumably concluded your assessment of the top three quarterbacks and come to a conclusion, only to turn around and try and suddenly try and trade for the former MVP.
It’s suspect timing, and perhaps just a call that was designed to get media coverage and entertain the 49ers’ front office. Maybe it’s due diligence, maybe it’s a panic, and maybe they’re just having fun at our expense. Either way, it’s been a wild day before noon.