The Denver Broncos have former Auburn Tigers quarterbacks Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham as their QB1 and primary backup signal-caller, respectively. Perhaps soon, that statement will only be true in the past tense, though.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio linked the Broncos to free agent Aaron Rodgers, claiming that it wasn't merely an April Fool's joke and that Sean Payton may want to roll the dice on a one-year "upgrade" from Nix to become the first head coach to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises.
"For Payton, the possibility of blazing a new trail for NFL coaches could be the thing that gets him to Canton," Florio prefaced before asking, "If he thinks Rodgers gives them a better chance to win the Super Bowl than Nix, why wouldn’t Payton at least ponder the possibility?
"It’s all very early. And it’s not an April Fool’s Day gag. The Broncos could be turning to Rodgers, at a time when the Steelers have assumed the position for the second straight offseason.
"If — and for now it’s a big if — Rodgers ends up in Denver, he wouldn’t play the Packers (unless the two teams meet in the Super Bowl, for the first time since the 1997 season). But he would make visits to the Jets, the Steelers, and one more trip to San Francisco, the team he wanted to draft him in 2005 and the team that tried to trade for him in 2021."
What does this mean for Bo Nix?
This would be a sign that Payton and the team's brain trust doesn't trust Nix's ankle injury to heal up well. Payton claimed it was a "predisposed injury" in the offseason, and while the team's ownership recently signaled they see Nix healing up by Week 1, that sentiment is starting to look like a smokescreen. And not the usual kind coming out of the Mile High City.
What does this mean for Jarrett Stidham?
Signing Rodgers would effectively be the end of Stidham's time in Denver. The Broncos are already exploring adding another QB in the draft or undrafted free agency, and probably wouldn't want three QBs making over $6 million.
Are the Broncos actually going to sign Aaron Rodgers?
Probably not. This may be Rodgers' representation trying to use the Pittsburgh Steelers as leverage on his next contract. Denver is a very nonsensical landing spot for Rodgers. This feels like an April Fool's Day joke, but Florio insists it's not. Strange days.