When it comes to unlikely rumors, the one connecting the Denver Broncos to quarterback Aaron Rodgers is definitely top of the charts. It’s making the rounds, though, probably because the only team Rodgers has been connected to so far this offseason is the Pittsburgh Steelers, his old team from last year.

The rumor was reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, though, and Florio usually doesn’t pump up rumors like this. To him it was reminiscent of a Rodgers rumor from five years ago when the San Francisco 49ers supposedly nearly traded for Rodgers during the pre-draft rumor cycle.

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So what’s going on this time around? The initial speculation is that it has something to do with the progress of Denver quarterback Bo Nix in his rehab from the broken ankle he sustained at the end of the season, despite comments from Broncos owner Brad Penner at the spring meetings in Arizona that Nix is “ahead of schedule.”

The scuttlebutt has the Broncos maybe bringing Rodgers in for a visit, based on the possibility that Nix won’t be 100 percent by Week 1, but there’s another factor in play here. Broncos coach Sean Payton knows that the key to being a first-ballot Hall of Famer is winning Super Bows with two different franchises, the idea being that Payton could be tempted to roll the dice with Rodgers as an upgrade, if indeed Rodgers would represent an upgrade.

This could also be a reflection of Payton’s true feelings about the rest of quarterback room. He talked up Jarrett Stidham before the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, but that didn’t exactly work out well, and while Sam Ehrlinger is a competent third quarterback, there’s no way the Broncos would want him to start a regular season game if other viable options are available.

The other question here is the fit with Rodgers and Payton, which is a fascinating thought experiment at the very least. The pairing would feature two of the best offensive minds in recent NFL history, but it would also come with a possible epic battle of wills, especially since Rodgers’ skills have eroded to the point where his body can no longer consistently support what he sees and wants to do.

This almost certainly won’t happen, but it is sort of fun to think about, but the thing to pay attention to is what it might means in terms of Nix’s ongoing rehab.