Rumors about the 49ers and Aaron Rodgers emerge from seemingly nowhere

One week from tonight the 2023 NFL Draft is set to begin. The Jets still do not have their starting quarterback. More than one month since future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers declared his intention to play for the Jets in 2023 on The Pat McAfee Show, the Jets and Packers still have not agreed to a trade.

Earlier this week a rumor broke about teams reaching out to the San Francisco 49ers about the availability of quarterback Trey Lance.

Now if you follow what Rapoport said, other teams initiated the discussion. Lance might not be in San Francisco’s long-term plans after the emergence of Brock Purdy in 2022.

Somehow from this, people are assuming the 49ers are in as a potential candidate to make a deal for Rodgers.

Former Giants running back and current WFAN host Tiki Barber speculated as much on his show. This seems to be the basis of the Rodgers to San Francisco chatter.

“All of this little simmering, it’s not even like smoke coming out of this thing, it’s just a little crinkling of flames starting to burgeon up under the leaves about Aaron Rodgers actually going to the 49ers as opposed to the Jets now has some validity,”

Let me start with a few caveats. A Jets trade for Rodgers is not a foregone conclusion until it is filed with the league. There is still time for another team to emerge as a suitor. Rodgers certainly could change his mind. And the 49ers would be a logical last minute mystery team since unlike the Jets it could be argued they actually are a quarterback away from winning the Super Bowl.

That said, we don’t really have much basis to be making sweeping conclusions about the Jets losing Rodgers here. Much of this speculation seems to be based on unrelated Lance rumors and Barber’s comments. At this point in time there’s no there there.