Aaron Rodgers' Mind Reportedly Is Made Up -- He Wants Out
In the latest chapter of the Aaron Rodgers saga, NFL.com Ian Rapoport reported that the Packers' handling of wide receiver Jake Kumerow may have been a factor in Rodgers' dissatisfaction.
Apparently Rodgers, a former Cal standout, had said last fall Kumerow was a lock to make the team only to have the Packers cut him in September.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that there is nothing the Packers can do at this point to convince Rodgers to want to stay in Green Bay.
The story began Thursday when Rodgers, the 2020 NFL MVP, is so frustrated with the Packers’ organization that he has told some people within the Packers organization that he doesn’t want to play for Green Bay anymore, according to a report by Schefter.
Late Thursday night, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Rodgers isn't going anywhere.
"We're not going to trade Aaron Rodgers," he said in the video below.
"We've been working through this for a little while now, and I just think it may take some time," Gutekunst said Thursday. "But he's a guy that kind of makes this thing go. He gives us the best chance to win, and we're going to work towards that end."
But as noted earlier, Schefter reported Saturday that it may be too late for the Packers. Schefter reported Rodgers' mind is made up that he no longer wants to play for the Packers, suggesting Rodgers will be with another team next season.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com suggested the 37-year-old Rodgers might even consider retiring rather than playing for the Packers next season.
Rodgers was at the Kentucky Derby with his fiancee on Saturday and spoke to Mike Tirico off camera.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer notes in the video atop this story that it was no accident that the story of Rodgers' desire to leave Green Bay broke on the same day that the NFL draft began.
"Everything that Aaron Rodgers does is calculated; this is calculated," said Breer, who goes on to analyze Rodgers' complaints.
(By the way, the Packers did not get Rodgers any offensive help in the first round of the draft, taking a defensive back -- Eric Stokes -- instead of a wide receiver. In the second round, Green Bay took a center -- Josh Myers -- and centers don't catch many passes. However, the Packers took a wide receiver -- Amari Rodgers (no relation to Aaron) -- with their third-round pick. But on the final day of the draft, the Packers took two offensive linemen, a defensive lineman, a cornerback, a linebacker and a running back. Read into that whatever you want. ESPN assessed the Packers' draft and how it might affect Rodgers' thoughts.)
The Packers are aware of Rodgers’ sentiments, according to Schefter's report, and have responded by sending team president Mark Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur on separate flights to meet with Rodgers during the offseason to speak with him.
Apparently other NFL teams are aware of Rodgers’ stance. Officials from the San Francisco 49ers called the Packers on Wednesday regarding Rodgers' availability, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero:
"Zero percent" is pretty definitive,
"Sometime after 5 o'clock, after a lot of the stuff had kind of hit the airwaves, I got I think one call," Gutekunst said. "It was very brief, and that was it."
And there is this from ProFootballTalk, a fairly reliable source:
Hmm, Raiders, Broncos and 49ers -- all in the West -- and, according to this, Rodgers wanted the Packers to take the 49ers' offer. Wouldn't that be something if he wound up with the 49ers after what happened in the 2005 draft? The 49ers, with the No. 1 overall pick, took Alex Smith instead of Rodgers, who had become a star at nearby Cal and was a 49ers fan growing up. Rodgers said that day the 49ers would regret passing on him.
The 49ers seem to be out of the conversation after drafting Trey Lance, but Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com speculated on packages the Broncos and Raiders could offer to acquire Rodgers in a trade.
Rodgers has turned down contract extensions or renegotiations, according to Schefter, which suggests Rodgers is serious about getting out of Green Bay.
Here is Schefter on ESPN on Thursday:
The only times in NFL history that a reigning MVP did not play for the same team the following season was in 1965 (Jim Brown) and 1960 (Norm Van Brocklin), and in both cases the player retired after his MVP season. Never has a reigning MVP played for another team the next season.
This week Gutekunst may have revealed that concern when he spoke about the Packers’ commitment to Rodgers.
"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."
The Packers have made it known that they don’t plan to trade Rodgers, but the 37-year-old Rodgers has consistently noted that he wants some kind of assurance in the form of a contract extension to prove that the Packers are committed to him beyond the 2021 season.
The Packers have offered to extend Rodgers' contract, sources told ESPN.
Rodgers’ dissatisfaction with the Packers dates back to last year’s NFL draft, when the Packers neglected to inform him that they were trading up to draft a quarterback (Jordan Love) with their first-round pick.
"I certainly look back to last year's draft and just kind of maybe some of the communication issues we could have done better," Gutekunst said Thursday night. "There's no doubt about it. The draft's an interesting thing. It can kind of unfold differently than you think it's going to unfold, and it happens pretty fast. But certainly, I think, looking back on it sitting where we sit today there could have been some communication things we did better."
In the meantime Rodgers got engaged to actress Shailene Woodley and has been a guest host on Jeopardy!. He has said he would love to be the permanent host of Jeopardy!, although ratings slipped just a bit in his second week as guest host.
After the Packers’ loss in the NFC championship game, Rodgers said his future in Green Bay was "uncertain," although he later said his comments were misinterpreted.
Rodgers has not said publicly that he wants to be traded and has said only that he expects to be in Green Bay in 2021.
Rodgers' contract includes a $6.8 million roster bonus that was due to be paid in March. The Packers could have converted that into a signing bonus, which would have freed up much needed salary cap space.
It's not known if the Packers never offered Rodgers that conversion or the Packers offered it and Rodgers declined to sign it.
Click here for Rodgers' contract numbers.
Former NFL player Pat McAfee, who often has Rodgers as a guest on his show, reacts below to the news:
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Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports
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