49ers could blow up NFL Draft by trading for Aaron Rodgers

The 49ers are reportedly in on a would-be trade for disgruntled Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and time is ticking before the NFL Draft to make a deal.

If the San Francisco 49ers fanbase wasn’t already dealing with a crazy amount of news, speculation and rumors in the waning hours before the kickoff of the 2021 NFL Draft, they certainly had to absorb more with a flurry of additional storylines surrounding Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Reports already surfaced the Niners had explored trying to trade for Rodgers earlier this week, especially those confirmed by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The reason why? Well, apparently Rodgers wants out from Green Bay after increasing frustrations with the Packers’ inability to build up a team around him like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did last year with quarterback Tom Brady en route to a Super Bowl championship. That, along with a contractual situation as laid out by NFL Network’s Mike Silver, has led to Rodgers wanting out:

Naturally, all of a sudden, San Francisco fans are shifting their focus from which quarterback the 49ers will select — Alabama’s Mac Jones, Ohio State’s Justin Fields or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance — and wondering if some sort of last-minute deal could be engineered between the Niners and Packers for the 37-year-old reigning NFL MVP.

And if it were to happen, San Francisco would absolutely blow up the NFL Draft right as it’s kicking off.

How 49ers could massively shake up NFL Draft by adding Aaron Rodgers

There’s more substance to all of this. According to Fox Sports’ Trey Wingo, citing sources, “Rodgers was convinced he was headed to San Francisco” just days before the draft.

Who knows what substance there is behind this report, and the Packers would have to be willing to engineer a move anyway. But with the 49ers potentially willing to dish out the No. 3 overall pick, as initially reported, there’s always the chance general manager John Lynch and Co. could execute a deal that would turn the draft on its head.

Easily understood enough, Green Bay would essentially be picking at No. 3, assuming that would be part of the would-be trade package, likely altering the quarterbacking pecking order if it’s still committed to last year’s first-round draft pick, quarterback Jordan Love.

Or the Packers suddenly take another quarterback. Who knows? Like most analysts have been saying: a lot can take place between now and the actual picks. And to sprinkle some humor into the mix, courtesy of head coach Kyle Shanahan, no one knows who’ll actually be alive by the end of the draft anyway, so why guarantee anything?

Speaking of guarantees, the Niners acquiring Rodgers would surely expedite the offboarding of their current quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, whose oft-discussed potential move to the New England Patriots has apparently picked up steam again, at least according to NESN’s Dale Arnold:

So many moving parts. So little time left between now and the start of the draft.

It’s also possible, albeit risky, San Francisco winds up having a deal in principle for Rodgers but doesn’t make it official just yet, thereby pulling a page out of the NBA Draft playbook and drafting whichever player the Packers want, then including him in the deal to Green Bay in exchange for Rodgers and whatever other bits of compensation may be included.

Again, more speculation. But that’s been the dominating theme here over the past few hours.

Perhaps we’ll all know much more by the time the 49ers’ pick is announced in a few hours.