Jones Wants Rodgers But Ready for Love
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones would like quarterback Aaron Rodgers to return but has confidence in Jordan Love.
“I hope he is not going nowhere,” Jones said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Tuesday. “Especially not Vegas. You know he played with Tae [Davante Adams], so I hope that wouldn’t happen. He’s my quarterback, so I hope he’s back. If he’s back, we are ready to ball with him. If not, then we have Jordan Love, who’s more than capable, and he’s ready to ball as well and ready for his shot.”
On Monday, the Jets reached out to Rodgers to gauge his interest. Those talks continued on Tuesday, and were raised several notches when owner Woody Johnson and other members of the franchise flew to California for face-to-face meetings with Rodgers.
“They’re not going out there to escape the cold,” a source told Packer Central.
Jones has seen the rumors.
“I definitely keep seeing that everywhere the Jets want him but, as of right now, he’s in Green Bay if he comes back and plays,” Jones said. “I don’t want him going anywhere. You guys [Jets fans] can have one of those veteran quarterbacks. Jimmy G [Garoppolo], he’s a winner and they can win with him. I like Jimmy G.”
Will Rodgers go to the Jets? Or will he return to the Packers?
The ball might be in his court.
Reporting from the Scouting Combine for Bally Sports, NFL insider Michael Silver said the Packers are “exhausted” by Rodgers’ “high-maintenance persona” and his “low-commitment leadership” since signing a three-year, $150 million contract almost a year ago.
Wrote Silver:
As one high-level Packers source put it to me recently, the days of begging Rodgers to return on his terms — which was essentially the organization’s approach during each of the previous two offseasons — are over. If the 39-year-old quarterback tells his bosses that he wants to return and commit to a single-minded quest for a second championship, they’d be receptive. Anything short of that, however, would leave them less than enthused.
That perhaps adds some context to this statement from general manager Brian Gutekunst to a group of local reporters at the Scouting Combine.
“He’s a great player,” he said. “But until we have those conversations, I think all options are on the table right now. But we really need to have those conversations. We want what’s best for the Green Bay Packers, what’s best for Aaron. So, we’ll get to that once those conversations happen.”
At the end of the season, Gutekunst said he wanted Rodgers to have greater participation in the voluntary offseason program. Last year, he took part only in the mandatory minicamp.
While Rodgers would argue his absence had no impact on the offense's struggles at the start of the season, it certainly didn't help.
“We want all our players here in the offseason,” he said a couple days after the Week 18 loss to the Lions. “First of all, I think there’s more energy in the building when your quarterback and leader’s in the building, so we want all our guys here.”
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