Mile High Monday: A timeline for a potential Rodgers trade emerges

My favorite time of year is here! As I write this week’s “Mile High Monday,” I am in Las Vegas for the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl – and I’m gearing up to fly to Mobile, Ala. for the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Monday.

I like traveling across the country to see some of the best college prospects bound for the NFL. It’s fun to see who stands out and watch these players before NFL fans get to see them on Sundays.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

***

Timeline for Rodgers Trade

The scouting community expects Aaron Rodgers to get traded to the Broncos at some point this year, and we may have an idea of when that could happen. The Packers may want to place the franchise tag on wide receiver Davante Adams, and rumblings indicate that’s when Rodgers is going to make his decision. Rodgers does not want things to drag out if he decides to leave Green Bay instead of staying or retiring from football.

The window to place the franchise tag opens on Feb. 22. That means we are less than a month from determining the fate of Rodgers and Adams – who could come to Denver in a package deal. The Packers want to tag Adams perhaps, but they need the cap space to do so as soon as the tag is placed. That’s going to be difficult because they are currently $50 million over the cap according to OvertheCap.com. Can they open enough space to make room for the $22 million tag for Adams? Only time will tell.

Recent reports have surfaced that the Packers are hopeful they can convince Rodgers to stay. I say this is spin coming from the Packers to make them look better if/when Rodgers leaves. People think things have cleared up between the two sides but I simply don’t think that’s the case. Instead, I think the Rodgers trade is closer than some want to admit – for various reasons.

When the #Packers season ended, QB Aaron Rodgers didn’t immediately fly out of town. Instead, he stayed around for a few days to map out what next year would be like in Green Bay. There is some optimism about his decision.

My story: https://t.co/HdnkM1QGNS

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 30, 2022

The Packers are hopeful they can work something out with Rodgers, but people around the league aren’t expecting that to happen. I’m here at the Shrine Bowl, and talking to NFL people they are all convinced that Rodgers is done in Green Bay. Only time will tell, but the clock is ticking on Rodgers, the Packers and Adams (and the Broncos!) future.

***

Turn Around Bright Eyes

We have seen quarterback Joe Burrow become a superstar in just two years of professional football. The Cincinnati Bengals selected Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft after having the worst record in the NFL. In two years, Burrow has led the Bengals to the Super Bowl.

Burrow has been everything the Bengals wanted and more. Plenty of quarterbacks come into the league with great physical skill sets, and Burrow has the arm to make all the throws in the NFL. Others come into the league with the prerequisite intelligence level for a passer, and Burrow is certainly a smart passer. However, it’s his combination of both that makes him special.

Not only those attributes, but Burrow has a confidence level that is high without being arrogant in what he does. Burrow has confidence oozing from his pores, and that’s evident by his pre-game attire or post-game celebratory cigars. The Bengals have historically been losers, and they have fought hard to shake that history. Burrow came in and completely wiped that away – and he did that after a rookie season in 2020 that was cut short by a knee injury.

Worst record in the league two years ago and now in the Super Bowl. Wow! Congrats Cincy!

— Raj Kumar Sharan (@Raj_Sharan) January 30, 2022

It’s great to see the Bengals in the Super Bowl. The NFL is built for teams to turn things around quickly – perhaps not as quickly as the Bengals have done but the implementation of the salary cap makes it difficult for teams to stay on top.

***

Three In a Row is Tough to Do

The San Francisco 49ers had beaten the Los Angeles Rams two times this year. As division rivals, the 49ers had the Rams number, winning six straight. In the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers were close to a victory again but could not pull off three in a row.

Instead of heading to the Super Bowl, they are heading home after losing to the Rams by a score of 20-17. It was a close game obviously, but the Rams had weapons like wide receiver Cooper Kupp who was just too good to stop. The combination of Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. were too much for the 49ers to overcome. Both receivers had over 100 yards receiving, and Kupp scored two touchdowns in the win-or-go-home scenario.

Stafford finds @CooperKupp in the endzone for the second time today! 🙌

📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/zdZH99l218

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 31, 2022

The Rams will face the Bengals in Super Bowl 56 – and they will do that in their home stadium. A home team in a Super Bowl had never happened before 2021, as the championship game is set on a neutral field. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played in and won a Super Bowl last year at their home stadium, and now the Rams are trying to do the same thing.
For only the second time in NFL history, two former no.1 overall quarterbacks will go up against each other. Matthew Stafford (2009) is going up against Joe Burrow (2020) to win it all. The last time that happened, Peyton Manning (1998) beat Cam Newton (2011) in Super Bowl 50. That was a great game, highlighted by the Broncos suffocating defense. That’s unlikely to be the name of the game in this one, although the Rams defense does feature superstars like Von Miller, Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald.

***

Calling My Shot

Everyone in the league is looking for the next “hot” coaching candidate. Teams want to find that young head coach who can take over and bring energy to a franchise. Look at what head coaches like Sean McVay (Rams), Zac Taylor (Bengals) or Matt LaFleur (Packers) have done with their teams.

I believe Rams quarterback coach Zac Robinson could be that guy. A former quarterback (Chatfield High School, Oklahoma State, New England Patriots), Robinson knows the qualities it takes to make plays at the position. After his playing days were done, Robinson worked for Pro Football Focus for a few years. He helped refine the way they grade the quarterback position and earned a reputation as one of the brightest minds when it comes to offensive football.

Robinson has been coaching with the Rams for a few years, and some might think it’s too early to consider him a head coach. I don’t think that at all. This is just like when I suggested LaFleur should be a head coaching candidate – when the Broncos hired Vance Joseph in 2017. It was 2019 when he got a chance with the Packers, and they’ve regularly been in a Super Bowl window with LaFleur as the head coach. You must be forward thinking when it comes to prospective head coaches. Robinson may be under-the-radar for some, but a smart team is one day going to get a great one.

If you want a young coach with intelligence and tremendous upside teams should consider Zac Robinson. Future OC. Future HC. Bright. Energetic. I'm calling it, like I did with Matt Lafleur and Mike McDaniel #Broncos #NFL @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) January 30, 2022

What do you think of Robinson as an up-and-coming coach? Hit me up on social networking and let me know!

***

Related

In Broncos loss, they got a win in something specific that truly matteredBo Nix happy with ‘solid’ first TD drive, says return ‘was like riding a bike’Sean Payton unhappy after Packers demolish Broncos, sends message to startersBroncos waste no time getting Jaylen Waddle involved in his preseason debutBo Nix throws a TD, leads two scoring drives in return from broken ankleBroncos CB Moss leaves game with rib injury