Aaron Rodgers Trade: Jokes in NFL That Bears, Lions Should Chip in

Report: Jokes around NFL say Bears should chip in Rodgers trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

If you were Ryan Pace, would you chip in a draft pick to help get Aaron Rodgers out of the NFC North? According to Jeremy Fowler there’s an inside joke around league circles that he, and the Lions and Vikings should do just that, to improve all of their chances within the division.

“The running joke among people I talk to is that the NFC North teams, Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit, they should chip in draft picks to get Aaron Rodgers up out of there to another team so they could start winning more games,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “He's winning 70-plus percent of his games against these teams. And so, I actually checked in on this, it's not really possible because any team making a deal would have to give or receive nominal value in return. So, you gotta get picks or a player. So, if you're the Vikings, you can't just give draft picks away and then get a guy out of your division. But it is sort of a running joke, and I think teams probably wouldn't complain if that was the case."

Fowler says no team would be able to chip in without receiving anything in return. But how about a simple swap of a third-round pick for a seventh-rounder? Or maybe trading a pick for a practice squad player? That seems like it would be allowed. If so, it’s something Pace, Brad Holmes and Rick Spielman should investigate.

With a 52-19-1 record against the NFC North, Rodgers really wins 73% of his games against the division, making the opportunity to boot him out of the North even more enticing. No team would like him out of the picture more than the Bears, as Rodgers has thrown for 55 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions en route to a 20-5 record against them. Both the 55 touchdowns and 20 wins are more than any other team in the league has surrendered to Rodgers.

Click here to subscribe to the Under Center Podcast for free.