Aaron Rodgers leaving would be about a lot of things ... winning wouldn't be one of them

If Aaron Rodgers wants a storybook ending, wants to ride off into the sunset as a winner, then it’s time to put away the measuring sticks, sign a team-friendly extension and stay in Green Bay. A decision to go to Denver or Las Vegas might make him feel better, more engaged, desired and involved—crucial facets of life not to be dismissed by any means—but they won’t be about winning. The best chance for Rodgers to win is in Green Bay with a roster he can help keep intact and a coach who has re-elevated him back to the realm of gods after spending too time with mere mortals during the late stages of the McCarthy era.

To clarify, Rodgers making a decision he thinks will make him happiest, whether to retire or seek a trade, is his choice, and a worthy one at that. It’s not up to me or Mark Murphy or anyone else to decide what the best decision is for him. But the decision that most likely leads to winning, to the chance at one more Lombardi Trophy, Rodgers is unlikely to find that anywhere he’s likely to be dealt this offseason.

Let’s start in Denver, where the Broncos hired Rodgers’ former offensive coordinator and a coach about whom the quarterback has spoken glowingly since Nathaniel Hackett arrived in Green Bay. The dot connecting economy is booming, particularly after the Broncos were thought to be the team most aggressively pursuing Rodgers before the draft last year.