The circumstances suggest that the Broncos pivoted from Aaron Rodgers to Russell Wilson once it became known that Rodgers is staying with the Packers. There’s a very real narrative that Wilson wasn’t Plan B for Denver, that he was Plan A.
That would make the two-time MVP Plan B.
Yes, the Broncos spent roughly a month working on the deal that officially will bring Wilson to Denver next Wednesday. But the talks may have always been contingent on Rodgers choosing not to leave Green Bay.
It’s simple. The Broncos have a tentative package for Wilson and a tentative package for Rodgers, Rodgers makes the decision to stay, and the Broncos turn to Seattle. The fact that the Broncos had something ready to go for Wilson underscores the reality that an understanding existed as to what it would take to land Rodgers, if he decided to go to Denver.
But, again, there’s a very real narrative that the Bronco wanted Wilson over Rodgers. If that narrative is true, the timing of Tuesday’s moves look incredibly coincidental. And, if that narrative is true, it’s hard not to wonder whether Rodgers caught wind of the possibility that his primary alternative to the Packers was about to strike a deal with the Seahawks, and whether Rodgers finalized his decision in order to create the impression that he, not Wilson, was Plan A in Denver.
The supersensitive Rodgers is surely sensitive to the appearance that the Broncos picked over a four-time league MVP someone who has never gotten a single MVP vote. Why else would Rodgers break his Twitter silence to announce his decision to return to Green Bay while also foolishly quibbling over whether he actually has “signed” a new contract?