NFL Draft rumors: Aaron Rodgers trade deadline, Bijan Robinson’s stock, and more

We are now just a few nights away from the official start to the 2023 NFL Draft. By this point the teams have finalized their draft boards, taken one last pass through potential scenarios, and are — like us — just waiting for the games to begin.

Of course, that will not stop the rumors from flying in the final hours before it all kicks off. Let’s take a look at the buzz from around the NFL media world this Monday of draft week.

Could we finally see movement on an Aaron Rodgers trade between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets.

Lawyer Mark — a person the SBNation staff admitted Monday morning to being very glad they never met — can tell you that “deadlines make deals.” This is a phrase repeated often by Andrew Brandt, one of the smartest minds in the NFL media space.

While there might not be a hard deadline in place regarding a potential Rodgers trade, like a franchise tag deadline, it seems that the parties are viewing the second night of the 2023 NFL Draft as a “soft deadline.” Speaking on ESPN’s SportsCenter late last week, Adam Schefter outlined why night two of the draft offers the teams a “soft deadline,” and it begins with the fact that the New York Jets have a pair of picks at 42 and 43 overall, and are not on the clock again until the third day of the draft:

“The line of demarcation, the soft deadline, is next Friday night, picks 42 and 43,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on SportsCenter Thursday. “Because if picks 42 and 43 come and go without Aaron Rodgers being traded to the New York Jets, then the wait for him to become a Jet could go on for an awful long time.”

The idea is that if those two selections come-and-go without a deal, any potential trade will then shift to discussions regarding 2024 draft picks, and remove any urgency on the side of the Packers to get a deal done. And, as Robert Saleh indicated earlier this spring, with Rodgers having a pre-existing relationship with incoming offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, there is no real urgency to get him into camp as he knows the offense.

Perhaps this idea of a “soft deadline” is why talks have apparently resumed:

Perhaps we will ... finally ... put the Rodgers to the Jets rumors to bed and start talking about what the Jets will look like with Rodgers in the fold.

While nothing is ever certain when it comes to the NFL draft, over the past few months two items appeared very close to being locks: Jalen Carter was the top defensive tackle in the draft class, and Bijan Robinson was the top running back.

However, has the mood around that second point shifted?

First out of the gate was this analysis from Emory Hunt, who is a must-watch/read/listen all year long. Hunt knows the game, and the running back position, extremely well, and last week he put out his list of the top running backs, and he had Jahmyr Gibbs ahead of Robinson:

For Hunt, who always shows his work and has years of experience evaluating prospects at all levels of the game, the difference comes down to explosiveness:

Then came this:

Finally, in his pre-draft mock on Monday Peter King of NBC Sports also floated the idea that some teams have Gibbs ahead of Robinson on their boards.

Could we indeed see Gibbs come off the board before Robinson? We will know more Thursday night.

Over the weekend, something crazy floated down the timeline. A rumor that the Philadelphia Eagles had swung another draft-time trade with the Tennessee Titans, this time for running back Derrick Henry.

As of this moment, there has been no confirmation of such a trade. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports shot down the idea, but did leave the door open:

“Maybe nothing happens on this front, but with the Titans entering a new era under Ran Carthon, perhaps a rebuild is their plan, given some of the moves made to date. A trade of Henry would certainly signal that a rebuild is indeed on in Tennessee.”

There are somewhat conflicting thoughts on Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson as the draft approaches.

Over the weekend, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk outlined how the Seattle Seahawks could draft Richardson if he were available when Seattle is on the clock with the fifth-overall selection. As noted by Florio, while the organization signed a new deal with incumbent starter Geno Smith, Seattle still makes sense for Richardson:

“The three-year, $105 million contract signed by quarterback Geno Smith gives the Seahawks significant flexibility. Given its structure, they could escape the deal after one year and $28 million. And so a player like Richardson could sit on the bench for a year (or two) and learn the game before playing.”

However, Peter King of NBC Sports goes in a much different direction in his final mock draft:

“Easily could go earlier—as high as four to Indianapolis. But the Vikings would be an intriguing spot for the raw Richardson. Kirk Cousins has one playoff win in five Vikings seasons. The math is not in Cousins’ favor. This is year six. He’ll have made $185 million as a Viking, and will be seeking $45 million-plus to re-sign after this season to be sure, guaranteed. Who would be surprised if the Vikings wanted to start fresh in 2024 if this is another one of those years?”

In both cases, the thought process is similar: Draft a quarterback who will take over eventually, not in 2023. Will the NFL follow Florio’s vision, or King’s?

Or will Chris Ballard and the Indianapolis Colts step in and make the question moot?

In his most recent piece for ProFootballNetwork insider Tony Pauline outlined how Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the clear WR1 in what many view as a weaker class at the position than we have seen in recent years.

The idea that JSN is at the top of the position is not a novel one, as things have been trending in that direction in recent weeks. But what is more notable about the reporting from Pauline are the two potential landing spots for Smith-Njigba that he has heard in the past few days.

First? The Philadelphia Eagles. Despite the presence of both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the Eagles “are making a late push on the wideout and doing a lot of work on him in recent days.”

Second? The New York Jets.

“Smith-Njiba is definitely part of the conversation for the Jets at 13 if the offensive tackles are off the board. I was told outright that the Jets are absolutely considering Smith-Njiba with that pick. Both bits of news surprised me, yet I was able to confirm each of them.”

Does this frustrate me as a fan of the New England Patriots who is trying to manifest Smith-Njigba to New England at pick 14? You better believe it.

ESPN’s Todd McShay on Monday dropped an extensive piece with some pre-draft reporting, and one of the more interesting nuggets involves the Pittsburgh Steelers potentially moving up for an offensive tackle.

“I’ve heard Pittsburgh has contacted multiple teams, including the Bears (sitting at No. 9) and Titans (No. 11) about trading up for an offensive tackle,” McShay writes in an ESPN Insider piece about the latest rumors. “The Steelers need a long-term answer as protection for Kenny Pickett, and there are three potential cornerstone left tackles in this class who will be available in that range. It wasn’t that long ago that Pittsburgh moved up in Round 1 and took linebacker Devin Bush, and we could see a similar move this year, albeit for a different position.”

Cornerback has been a position often linked with the Steelers, and in particular Joey Porter Jr., but with a need along the offensive line, could Pittsburgh indeed go in a different direction?

And you know Bears General Manager Ryan Poles would love to get back the second-round pick they sent to Pittsburgh for WR Chase Claypool.

Perhaps the safest rumor right now?

Nobody knows anything.