Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers is so disgruntled with the Green Bay Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team, league and team sources told ESPN on Thursday.
#Packers GM Brian Gutekunst to ESPN: "As we've stated since the season ended, we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond. Aaron has been a vital part of our success and we look forward to competing for another championship with him leading our team."
Originally Posted by : Aaron Rodgers doesn't want to return to Green Bay Packers, sources say
Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers is so disgruntled with the Green Bay Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team, league and team sources told ESPN on Thursday.
The Packers are aware of his feelings, concerned about them and have had team president Mark Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur each fly out on separate trips to meet with Rodgers at various points this offseason, sources told ESPN.
"As we've stated since the season ended, we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond," Gutekunst told ESPN. "Aaron has been a vital part of our success and we look forward to competing for another championship with him leading our team."
Rodgers has not budged this offseason, but neither have the Packers, who have made it known they are not interested in trading Rodgers anywhere.
The San Francisco 49ers called the Packers on Wednesday night, a source told ESPN, and the Los Angeles Rams inquired about Rodgers in January before they traded for Matthew Stafford.
The Packers quickly dismissed the Rams' overtures, the source said.
The Packers have offered to extend Rodgers' contract, sources told ESPN.
Rodgers is unhappy for a variety of reasons, with some of it dating back to last year's draft when the Packers didn't inform him before trading up to draft a quarterback with their first-round pick. Some took this as a sign that his days in Green Bay could he numbered.
He also is at a different point in his personal life, having recently gotten engaged to actress Shailene Woodley. Rodgers also has hosted "Jeopardy!" and said it would be a dream to become the full-time host. He could play football and host Jeopardy! together.
Rodgers has made cryptic comments about his future in Green Bay, but he has told others that he does not want to return.
On draft night, the Packers' biggest issue isn't who they land, but whether they can keep the former NFL MVP.
Rodgers' contract contained a $6.8 million roster bonus due in March. It could have been converted into a signing bonus that would have freed up more than $4.5 million in salary-cap space for this season but instead it "vested as scheduled," a source told ESPN at the time. It's listed as an automatic conversion in Rodgers' contract but even that has to be signed off on by both parties. It's not known if the Packers tried to convert and Rodgers refused to sign off on it, or if they did not attempt a conversion.
Originally Posted by Quesadilla Joe:
The Packers are already 3 deep at OLB. They won't want Chubb. They'll probably want players who have more years remaining on their rookie deal like Dremont Jones, Jeudy, Hamler, Risner, Ojemudia.
Green Bay Packers president says Aaron Rodgers situation has divided fan base
Originally Posted by :
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers still don't have a solution to the Aaron Rodgers situation, but they know what it has done to their fans.
"The situation we face with Aaron Rodgers has divided our fan base," Packers president Mark Murphy wrote in his monthly column published Saturday on the team website. "The emails and letters that I've received reflect this fact."
It has been more than a month since news of Rodgers' beef with the organization became public in a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter. Last month, Murphy acknowledged it is an issue the Packers have been working on with Rodgers and his agent, David Dunn, for "several months."
Murphy essentially confirmed Schefter's report that he, general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur all made separate trips to meet with Rodgers throughout the offseason and that the team was "very much aware of Aaron's concerns." Murphy proclaimed at that time that the team remains "committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond."
The most recent development in the story came last week, when Rodgers was a guest on Kenny Mayne's final SportsCenter show. Rodgers suggested his issue with the Packers was about an organizational philosophy that he believes has gone awry. And while the drafting of quarterback Jordan Love last year changed things for him, his beef was not with Love but rather with the way it went down.
"I love Jordan; he's a great kid [and we've had] a lot of fun to work together," Rodgers said last week. "Love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. An incredible 16 years. It's just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It's about character, it's about culture, it's about doing things the right way."
Rodgers has skipped the Packers' offseason program, forfeiting a $500,000 workout bonus. If he skips next week's mandatory minicamp, which begins Tuesday, he would be subject to a fine of $93,085.
Rodgers became the Packers' starting quarterback 13 years ago amid a divided fan base: those who wanted the Packers to take back Brett Favre after he unretired and those who were ready to move on. The pro-Favre crowd was more vocal in that scenario and Favre became a sympathetic figure before he was traded to the New York Jets. The anti-Favre sentiment, however, heightened when he came out of retirement again a year later to play for the rival Minnesota Vikings.
At this point, it has been a mixed reaction in the NFL's smallest city: those who want Rodgers back at any cost and those who are upset with a player who no longer wants to be part of their team.
"As I wrote here last month, we remain committed to resolving things with Aaron and want him to be our quarterback in 2021 and beyond," Murphy wrote in Saturday's column. "We are working to resolve the situation and realize that the less both sides say publicly, the better."
Originally Posted by RunKC:
Packers have done an excellent job protecting Rodgers with quality OL but they need to get that man more weapons.
IMO they should have signed Emmanuel Sanders and then drafted Elijah Moore instead of their 50th DB the last 5 years
Should have, I'd agree. They don't take WRs in the 1st often, we know that. They got a pretty good one moving up in the 3rd for Amari Rodgers this year though to fill that slot role. If Valdez-Scantling takes that next step, Rodgers will have a pretty solid top 4. [Reply]
The Packers commit to trade Rodgers, pacifying the angry quarterback—but the deal would not happen till next spring. Rodgers, in turn, agrees to give the Packers one more season in exchange for being allowed to transition to a new team before the 2022 draft. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle: :-) Forgot this part, Knowmo
The Packers commit to trade Rodgers, pacifying the angry quarterback—but the deal would not happen till next spring. Rodgers, in turn, agrees to give the Packers one more season in exchange for being allowed to transition to a new team before the 2022 draft.
That's just Peter King trying to come up with a potential olive branch scenario. Rodgers ain't about that life, and Peter King knows it, which is why he said, "I would bet Rodgers, today, is solid on never playing for the Packers again" [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle: :-) Forgot this part, Knowmo
The Packers commit to trade Rodgers, pacifying the angry quarterback—but the deal would not happen till next spring. Rodgers, in turn, agrees to give the Packers one more season in exchange for being allowed to transition to a new team before the 2022 draft.
Originally Posted by Quesadilla Joe:
That's just Peter King trying to come up with a potential olive branch scenario. Rodgers ain't about that life, and Peter King knows it, which is why he said, "I would bet Rodgers, today, is solid on never playing for the Packers again"
Rodgers won’t be traded this year. They’ll tell him to sit at home if he pouts.
