Odds say Aaron Rodgers will start 2021 NFL season with the Packers

Odds say three-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers will take his first snap of the 2021 NFL season with his current team, the Green Bay Packers.

Rumors out of Green Bay, about Rodgers’ dissatisfaction with the front office, have led some to wonder whether the 37-year-old superstar will move to a new team before the second weekend of September.

At TwinSpires Sports, the Packers have -134 odds to be the team Rodgers competes with at the beginning of next season. The Denver Broncos are +150, followed by the San Francisco 49ers (+700) and Las Vegas Raiders (+900).   

Reasons Rodgers will depart from Green Bay

Following the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters the front office will not trade Rodgers.

If that is the case, Rodgers still may not suit up for Green Bay. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the recent Jeopardy! guest host has considered retirement, if the current situation is not "repaired to his liking." He may also hold out during training camp to force a trade.

Based on a report by Yahoo! Sports, one of Rodgers' main issues in Green Bay is with Gutekunst, who was promoted to general manager in 2018.

Since the 47-year-old executive assumed his current role, the Packers used a first-round pick to draft quarterback Jordan Love — a move that blindsided Rodgers and sparked his initial frustration in Green Bay.

The organization also cut wide receiver Jake Kumerow last season, a day after Rogers praised him as a roster lock, which may have been a breaking point.

The former Super Bowl MVP has reached four NFC Championship Games since 2014 and lost in each appearance. To get back to a Super Bowl, for the second time since his win in 2010, Rodgers could use help at receiver — something the Packers have not been too eager to provide.

Reasons Rodgers will move to a new team in 2021

Rodgers could inherit an arsenal of talented receiving weapons in Denver, one of his preferred trade destinations.

In the last few seasons, the Broncos focused on skill-position players in the early rounds of the NFL Draft.

They picked up receiver Courtland Sutton (2018 second round), tight end Noah Fant (2019 first round), guard Dalton Risner (2019 second round), and wideouts Jerry Jeudy (2020 first round) and KJ Hamler (2020 second round).

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Broncos traded up to select North Carolina running back Javonte Williams, who will play behind Melvin Gordon, an unrestricted free agent in 2022.

The piece missing on offense in Denver is a reliable quarterback. In 2019, the franchise drafted Drew Lock in the second round and traded a 2021 sixth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Teddy Bridgewater ahead of this year's draft.

The Broncos say they're content to play with either quarterback. With QB prospects Justin Fields and Mac Jones still up for grabs in this year's NFL Draft, the Broncos used the No. 9 overall pick to select top cornerback prospect Patrick Surtain II.

Green Bay also drafted a cornerback in the first round, Eric Stokes, the fifth player at his position taken in the draft.

Should the Broncos go after Rodgers, Denver may use Surtain in their trade package to entice the Packers, who need to upgrade their secondary.

Denver is no stranger to luring veteran franchise quarterbacks to the Mile High City. The blueprint was laid with Peyton Manning in 2012, when the longtime Indianapolis Colt signed with Denver at age 36. Manning led the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory and shattered NFL records during his brief tenure in Denver.

Another subtle reason Denver is an ideal landing spot for Rodgers is the fact his fiancée, actress Shailene Woodley, lives in Boulder, Colorado.

When Rodgers could get traded

The 49ers are supposedly another team of interest for Rodgers, who grew up in Northern California and hoped to land in San Francisco in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Back then, the Niners owned the No. 1 overall pick, but opted for quarterback Alex Smith.

The 49ers front office reportedly inquired about a Rodgers trade ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, but Gutekunst shut it down. San Francisco then picked up dual threat Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick, so Rodgers' chances of returning to his home state are slim.

The Raiders are another potential trade candidate in the AFC West, but they are in a less promising position to contend for a Super Bowl, compared to the Broncos.

Regardless of which team Rodgers would like, the Packers probably will not budge on a trade until after June 1, in order to save more than $16 million in salary cap space.

In the meantime, rumors will likely continue to leak from Green Bay and make it all the more apparent Rodgers' time with the Packers is up.