Team Cap Space and Draft Capital

Which means the Packers hold all the cards. Below is a quote form an OTC article:

overthecap.com/looking-ahead-to-the-packers-options-with-aaron-rodgers

This will be my final comment on the Rodgers situation as I don't want to derail a Vikings thread.

We've had good luck drafting 'good bend' DEs from LSU
My question is....wouldn't LB (specifically ILB if staying 3-4) be a higher priority? I mean, if we keep Z, Patrick Jones has trended up....and if Hicks and Kendricks are both potentially gone......I'm biased as an alum, but I love Noah Sewell (just not sure how high)

To be fair, was Zs issue more of wearing down after not playing a full season? He's under contract, so we really don't have to do anything with him. I'd argue in his case it's well worth letting that one play out. Yeah, I get that he's 30, but there's no question as to the impact he had when he was on the field. I think the bigger issue is getting more impact around him and Hunter. That was sorely lacking this year. 

We'll have to see what happens in the offseason between the start of the 2023 League Year and the Draft, but as of now, I'm not sure ILB is too high of a priority. It seems a given that Asamoah will be a starting ILB in 2023+, so that means at least one of Kendricks/Hicks will probably be released. If both are released, then they would likely go after another starting ILB through free agency (mind you, they probably wouldn't go after a Tier 1 ILB player like Buffalo's Tremaine Edmunds, but more of a Tier 2 ILB that would have an avg cap hit of approx. $5m-$8m per season) and then Draft a mid-Rd ILB prospect to develop behind Asamoah/new Free Agent ILB. Even if one of Kendricks/Hicks stays to pair with Asamoah in 2023, I could still see Kwesi drafting a mid/late Rd ILB prospect to develop because Dye will be on the last year of his 4-yr rookie deal in 2023.

Noah Sewell is currently #35 on Tankthon's Big Board (link) and he's also listed at #42 on Feldman's 2022 "Freak's List", which means he's going to probably test really well at The Combine, and given the lack of "blue chip" talent in Round 1 of this upcoming Draft, it wouldn't surprise me if he possibly snuck into the back end of Round 1 similar to how former Kentucky LB Jamin Davis rocketed up Draft Boards all the way to 19th overall (to Washington) in 2021. While I do think that Kwesi and Donatell covet speed/athleticism in the 2nd level (ILB's to DB's, as is evident by their drafting of Cine, Asamoah & Evans in the 2022 Draft), I'm not sure they'd take an ILB that high unless they were "blue chip" material and I'm not sure Sewell is at that level. One thing to keep in mind about Sewell: he's better as a downhill/blitzing LB than a rangy/coverage one and I do think that Donatell/O'Connell like to have their ILB have good coverage skills, in addition to solid run defense. In a 3-4, the OLB (ie, Hunter and Z Smith) are the one's who are comin' off the edge the majority of the time w/ the 2 DE's and NT eating up blocks in the trenches and you want your ILB to maintain 2nd-level gap discipline and cover that middle-ground space where our opponents have so-often attacked us this year given how poor both Kendricks/Hicks are at coverage.

I'd look to late Day 2 or Rounds 4 & 5 for a ILB prospect with decent athleticism and decent coverage ability to develop. One prospect that fits that bill is Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio St - he hasn't declared yet, but he's a rangy ILB with solid run-defense / coverage abilities that will go somewhere between Round 3 and early Day 3.

Raiders, Panthers, Saints, Falcons, Colts, Patriots and Seattle would be interested.  Pats, Saints, Raiders, Seahawks and Panthers might think they are a QB away and might be unwilling to turn over the team to a rookie.  

Rodgers, in a year where he had no viable #1 or even #2 WR for most of the season threw for similar TDs, YPA, QB rating and ints as Kirk throwing to JJ, Hock and Osborne.  The Packers offense lead by Rodgers moved the ball better on average than the Vikings, and were only slightly behind them in scoring efficiency.  

One or all of those five teams will look at the team they could put around Rodgers compared to the one he had in GB and be willing to send at least a 1st for him and the Packers should take that 1st.  

Maybe I'm just dumb, but AR is a huge cap hit, so only a team with a LOT of cap space and need for a QB would be interested in him. Which leaves...

The Bears.

Which would be fun to see. I mean, REALLY fun to see.