NFL Trade Rumors: Former league GM refuses to rule out possibility of Aaron Rodgers joining 49ers

The offseason is young, so the Aaron Rodgers trade possibilities seem endless. That is at least what the former general manager of three different NFL franchises appears to be implying on Twitter.

Randy Mueller, former executive of the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Miami Dolphins, said that he could see the San Francisco 49ers as a potential landing spot for Aaron Rodgers.

Why would the San Francisco 49ers want Aaron Rodgers?

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - San Francisco 49ers v Dallas Cowboys

Heading into 2021, the 49ers were in an odd place. They had spent an arm and a leg to draft Trey Lance, while also having a quarterback who had just played in a Super Bowl two years prior in Jimmy Garoppolo. The reason they acquired Lance was to guard against Garoppolo's consistent injury issues.

Instead, the quarterback was healthy for all of 2022 and the team went to the NFC Championship before falling to the Los Angeles Rams. While Garoppolo has proven to be able to get teams deep into the postseason, he has trouble in late-season games in clutch situations with the season on the line.

As such, the 49ers are a dark horse to maintain their focus on finding a new quarterback.

They have Trey Lance, but they didn't find a reason to rush him onto the field in 2021. If the 49ers have a shot to get Aaron Rodgers, they could replace their de facto bridge quarterback in Garoppolo with a better bridge quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.

With him, the 49ers could reach a new height while continuing to develop Trey Lance. In getting Rodgers, the 49ers would only be delaying Lance's debut by a couple of years, giving him the same extended waiting period that Green Bay gave their quarterback.

Of course, there are some holes in the idea. Detractors would be the first to point out that the 49ers have another potential solution at the position already on the roster.

If Lance, the quarterback they hemorrhaged the future on already, doesn't at least get a chance before dumping another sum on another quarterback, some think it would be a massive mistake on the part of the 49ers.

Additionally, the 49ers were able to beat the Packers in the playoffs in two of the last three years. After beating a team, their assets don't seem as impressive. In other words, if you can beat them, you don't need them.

Would the 49ers be willing to pay an exorbitant price for someone they've already exposed in the playoffs?