What Could Have Been: Trading #12 in 2022

With any day supposedly being pen on paper that would send in his words “the best player in franchise history” to the New York Jets, Packer fans are quick to forget the haul they could have seen. Prior to Rodger’s extension following the 2021 season, there was uncertainty about where the 17-year veteran would play. What followed was a painstakingly long “Rodgers Watch” as fans feared their guy may be on the way out.

Ultimately, the two sides were able to work out an agreement which was said to be team friendly… However, 1 year later and it appears the alternative will be explored. What was once considered a king’s ransom, now looks to be a handful of day 2 picks. So, what would the Green Bay roster look like if they hadn’t of extended Rodgers?

Russel Wilson was traded for 2 firsts, 2 seconds, and several impactful players. Sure, Russ wasn’t nearing age 39 coming into the next season, but he also wasn’t Back-To-Back MVP of the National Football League. It is not unreasonable to assume Gutekunst would have netted similar trade compensation as Seattle.

For the sake of this hypothetical, let’s assume Rodgers was traded to Denver for 2 firsts and 2 seconds spanning over 2 seasons. It’s also safe to assume that Rodgers and Denver would have finished with a better record than what earned the 5th overall selection. Instead, we’ll say Denver finished middle of the league, earning Green Bay the 16th and 48th overall pick in the 2022 draft.

• 2022 16th overall selection: Jahan Dotson, WR Penn State

Green Bay did end up with their star WR this draft with Christian Watson, but as we saw in the 2022 season the Packers needed more receiving weapons. Pairing Watson and Dotson together not only would have sounded great but would have produced a dynamic young explosive duo to take advantage of a weak NFC North secondary.

• 2022 48th overall selection: Jaquan Brisker, S Penn State

As we head into the current 2023 season, safety is one of the biggest question marks for Green Bay. Amos seems to be on his way out, and Savage has proved to be a liability at times with inconsistent play. Brisker proved to be one of the draft steals, starting 15 games while amassing 104 tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 interception. There’s no questioning Brisker would have made an impact on Green Bay’s secondary, as they struggled to remedy injury as well as inconsistent play.

Recapping the highlights of this “what could have been” 2022 draft, Green Bay comes out of the first 2 rounds with Jahan Dotson, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Christian Watson, and Jaquan Brisker. In honor of MLB starting, we’ll call this a HOME RUN. Pair this with 4 more draft picks in the top 50 of 2023, as well as 40 million additionally in cap space, and Green Bay’s Super Bowl odds would have skyrocketed. Packer fans can only hope that whatever compensation that is left to be had, can net similar results to What Could Have Been.