Peyton Manning: “Gut feeling” Rodgers won’t come to Denver
Jul 13, 2021, 10:03 AM
Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning spoke his truth about what he believes will happen with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and it may disappoint some fans in Denver.
Manning appeared on MLB Network ahead of Monday night’s Home Run Derby and said said he “can’t fathom” Rodgers not playing this season.
Peyton Manning can't see Aaron Rodgers not playing this year ⤵ pic.twitter.com/LjmJyTfA32
— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2021
“Obviously, I hope he plays somewhere this year. The fact that Aaron Rodgers might not play this year, I can’t fathom it,” Manning said. “He’s too good of a player, too fun to watch for the fans. I personally hope it’s in Green Bay. That’s what I see him as (and) I hope they can kinda make amends and work (it) out. That team is so close, if he were to leave there it’d be a major change, obviously, for them.”
The Rodgers drama began during the first night of the NFL Draft, when it was reported that the Broncos and Packers were close to finalizing a trade for the MVP quarterback.
Since then it has been mayhem and speculation, but Manning believes that Denver already has their quarterback for the season.
“My gut,” Manning added, “is he’s not coming to Denver. My gut is Denver’s gonna have Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater be their quarterback. At this point, you gotta kinda know what your plan is. You can’t be having a new quarterback three weeks before the season.”
What does hold true is Manning’s point at the end, it is difficult to get a new quarterback acclimated to a different offensive system with months of time available and it’s even tougher to do so in a month.
Of course Broncos Country would welcome Rodgers with open arms (I don’t know many teams or fan bases that wouldn’t), but with training camp just 61 days away the chances are becoming slim.
The Broncos have their own question to answer for now as they gear up for their own quarterback competition between Lock and Bridgewater.
While the Rodgers to Denver scenario isn’t totally dead, it does seem like wishing on a shooting star.
