Rodgers Wants No Part of Rebuilding
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ future could be decided by how general manager Brian Gutekunst attacks an offseason that arrived in stunning fashion on Saturday.
Undone by two enormous special-teams mistakes and his own subpar performance, the Green Bay Packers were shocked 13-10 by the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. With that, Rodgers will be contemplating his future rather than how to win the NFC Championship Game.
The decisions that must be made are momentous.
To keep this team together, Gutekunst borrowed against the 2022 salary cap with a series of contract restructures. Those decisions, all done with an eye on winning this year’s Super Bowl, have the team about $50 million over next year’s salary cap.
So, while it’s always a different team year to year, it will be a vastly different team next season. If it’s too different, Rodgers could decide 17 seasons with the Packers is enough. He could ask to be traded; he could even retire.
“I don’t want to be part of a rebuild if I’m going to keep playing,” Rodgers said.
A rebuild certainly is possible. That starts with Davante Adams – arguably the best receiver in the NFL and one of Rodgers’ closest friends – headed to free agency. The surprise defensive stars, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas, will be free agents, too. To re-sign Adams will require the release of some high-priced veterans. That might be a necessity even without Adams.
“I did not think we’d be talking about this after this game, but I’m going to take some time and have conversations with the folks around here and then take some time away and make a decision,” Rodgers said.
The Packers must be in compliance with the salary cap by the start of the league-year and free agency on March 16. So, any starting point will be Rodgers and Gutekunst discussing the personnel plan and Rodgers getting a feel for his potential supporting cast.
“There’s obviously a lot of decisions to be made,” Rodgers said. “There’s a lot of players whose futures are up in the air, so definitely will be interesting to see which way some of those decisions will go. But I’ll have the conversations with Brian in the next week or so and get a little bit more clarity and think about my own future and how much longer I want to keep doing this.”
To be sure, Rodgers thought he’d be doing this for at least three more weeks. Everything was in the Packers’ favor entering the postseason. Rodgers was the hottest quarterback in the NFL. Jaire Alexander, Za’Darius Smith, Randall Cobb and Whitney Mercilus were back from injuries. The Packers were at home; they were last year, too, but not with “Packers weather” and not in a full stadium.
In the end, though, this season ended like so many others: In stunned disbelief about a championship opportunity that slipped through his fingers.
The Packers might not have it so good next year. They might not be able to afford Adams. Cobb and Mercilus were perhaps one-year rentals. Campbell and Douglas probably have priced themselves out of Green Bay. Za’Darius Smith, who had a sack, and Adrian Amos, who had an interception, could be among the cost-cutting releases.
Can the Packers re-load and still win a Super Bowl – a game that has eluded Rodgers for more than a decade?
“I don’t know,” Rodgers said. “That’s a fair question. Definitely one I’ve thought about. There are a lot of decisions to be made and key players, a lot of guys who played tonight. Proud of Z coming back, Whitney coming back from a torn bicep is incredible, the contributions we got from Dennis Kelly were outstanding. Obviously, Davante is the best receiver in the league and he’s a free agent. Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, so many guys’ contracts are up or on the brink or salary cap stuff, so lot of decisions to be made.”
Working in Green Bay’s favor is Rodgers and Gutekunst are in a much better place now than a year ago. The growth in their relationship is one reason why Rodgers said this season was so “special.” As evidenced by the acquisition for Cobb, Gutekunst was willing to listen to Rodgers’ personnel opinions.
Still, it’s yet another season without a championship, an 11th consecutive season that some other team than Green Bay will be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.
Now, changes – big changes – are inevitable.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish here,” Rodgers said. “Thankful – deeply thankful – for so many years here in the organization and all the incredible teammates and coaches that I’ve had over the years. That’s part of the legacy, I think: the friendships, and the memories on and off the field.
“But I don’t know. I’m still super-competitive, still know I can play at a high level, so it’s going to be a tough decision, I have a lot of things to weigh in the coming weeks. But, man, just so much gratitude for this city and this organization and such a long, long career here that I’m proud of and really thankful for all the men and women that work here, the men I’ve gotten to cross paths with, coaches and players over the years.”
