It has been a crazy week for the National Football League.

            On Monday, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022 NFL season after illegally betting on games.

            The league determined that Ridley had bet on games that the Falcons would win on his mobile device. They learned of his activity through their connections with the team.

            NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell penned a letter to Ridley, saying the following:

            “There is nothing more fundamental to the NFL’s success than upholding the integrity of the game. This is the responsibility of every coach, player, game official, and anyone else employed in the league. Your actions put the integrity of the league at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL.”

            Goodell goes on to say that gambling on NFL games has been a major violation of the league and holds the most serious consequence. He also applauded Ridley for his courage in coming forward and admitting his wrongdoing.

            The Atlanta Falcons also released a statement, acknowledging the situation:

            “We were first made aware of the league’s investigation on Feb. 9. We have cooperated fully with the investigation since receiving notice and support the league’s findings and actions. We are moving forward in the 2022 season with the decision that was made. With the decision that was made by the NFL, any further questions on the investigation should be directed to the league office.”

            The Ridley suspension was certainly news, but not as big as a certain quarterback’s future.

            After months and nearly a year of speculation about his future, Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Green Bay Packers by way of a contract extension.

            The deal is reportedly for 4 years at $200 million, with $153 million guaranteed, as first reported by NFL Network.

            Rodgers is coming into his new contract with back-to-back NFC Championship Game losses in 2020 and 2021. Despite being named MVP both seasons, he lost to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, and the San Francisco 49ers in 2021.

            Prior to the extension, there were several teams interested in potentially trading for Rodgers, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans.

            In addition to the two stories above, there were two massive trades, one of those perhaps being the biggest blockbuster trade in league history.

            After 10 years in Seattle with two Super Bowl appearances and one ring, star quarterback Russell Wilson will have a new home this upcoming NFL season.

            On Tuesday, as reported by ESPN and NFL Network, the Denver Broncos acquired the quarterback in exchange for quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks, and a fifth-round pick.

            Tensions grew between Wilson and the Seahawks last season when he criticized the team over personnel decisions and not being able to have a say.

            Broncos GM George Paton noted that this trade had been in the works for two weeks and had nothing to do with Aaron Rodgers’ contract extension. The trade is awaiting Wilson’s approval, the waiving of his no-trade clause, and a pending physical.

            Besides Wilson, there was another star quarterback that was on the move this week.

            On Wednesday, the Washington Commanders acquired Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Carson Wentz in exchange for a 2022 second-round draft pick (No. 43), 2022 third-round pick (No. 73) and a 2023 conditional third-round pick.

            Wentz was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent five seasons with the team, including a MVP campaign in 2017 that was cut short due to a season-ending injury. He was traded to Indianapolis following the 2020-2021 season after nursing multiple injuries and being benched in favor of then rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts.

          

How will the moves affect the teams mentioned? We’ll have to wait until the 2022-2023 NFL season begins to find out.