A new era of head coaching has begun in Denver with the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett as the newly announced head coach of the Denver Broncos. This decision comes shortly after a second interview with the team lasted a reported 8-plus hours in Denver with Paton and staff. With this hire begins a renewed focus on the offensive side of the ball and a coach that knows how to build relationships with his players. Let’s be honest though, the biggest storyline that comes from this hiring is the obvious tie to Aaron Rodgers.

On draft day, Thursday April 29, the loudest rumblings of Rodgers’ displeasure with the Green Bay Packers erupted, causing quite the stir and from that day forth the Denver Broncos we inextricably tied to him. The Broncos went directly into negotiations with the Packers, and according to Denver’s own Mark Schlereth they were “as close to a done deal as it can be” that very day for the future hall of fame quarterback. Clearly, history tells you a deal was never struck, but the desire to acquire Rodgers was clearly in George Paton’s design.

Paton has done a stupendous job of keeping information close to the vest including this decision to hire Hackett. Nathaniel Hackett was a reported finalist to land the head coaching job, that was no secret. But it came as a shock to many that he was the inevitable winner, especially with all of the rumblings in the last week surrounding Denver’s supposed renewed interested in Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.

Hackett was deserving of a head coaching job, that much has been established, but the hiring is a clear indicator that George Paton has never given up the chase to make Aaron Rodgers the next quarterback in orange and blue.

It likely was a large factor in pulling the trigger so soon on giving the job to Rodgers’ former offensive coordinator. Even with pending reports of additional interviews on the books with the other candidates.

The salary cap situation for Green Bay is among the worst in the league, so moving Rodgers makes more sense than ever for the Packers. Trading Rodgers would clear them $46 million in cap space in 2022 and they would receive a bounty of young players and first day draft picks.

There is no currency more universal in the NFL than draft picks, and for a team moving off of an NFL MVP, they will need the affordable contracts of high-quality rookies to rehabilitate their burdensome salary cap limitations. With Paton being a “draft guy” and a second year General Manager, outside of last year’s draft class, nobody on the current Broncos roster are “his guys,” therefore no one else is untouchable. Seeing Denver part with Jerry Jeudy, Noah Fant, Bradley Chubb or any combination of the three plus multiple first day picks would not come as a surprise if a trade for Rodgers was executed.

It would be the cure-all to the Packers reluctance to move on from an expensive and aging MVP and help the Broncos pull out of a 5-year spiral into oblivion.

Even the bookmakers in Las Vegas believe this marriage is likely. According to Bovada.lv Denver is the favorite to acquire Rodgers next season at -115. Plus, It’s no secret that Rodgers and his Packers counterpart Davante Adams want to end up together again whenever this saga ends, and Vegas has made Denver the odds-on favorite to land him as well at +250 just under the Green Bay packers at -180. The next closest guesstimate is with the Pittsburgh Steelers at +1200.

Now, the likelihood of Green Bay to let Adams walk in the off-season is zeor, so the more likely scenario is that they would franchise tag Adams and include him a Rodgers trade or separately work a deal with Denver. It would be immensely pricey but would more than likely be worth it and would immediately catapult Denver into Super Bowl contention.

It isn’t difficult to see that all arrows are pointing to the Denver Broncos as Aaron Rodgers’ next landing spot. The evidence is there, and the hiring of Hackett was the first domino to fall in a cascade of decisions that could lead to his arrival in Denver. The only questions that remain are: When and at what cost?

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