No ‘Malice,’ Only ‘Gratitude’ From Rodgers If Traded
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in the middle of his dispute with the front office in 2020, a messy, ugly divorce seemed a possibility. Two years later, a potential divorce would be on much more friendly terms.
“It’s taboo to talk about some of these ideas but to be open to the possibility that, if I want to keep playing, that it might be somewhere else, I understand that,” Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. “I understand they might want to move on and go younger at a number of different positions. That’s a part of it.
“When I think about that thought, it's important to understand that, to have some peace with that, because there is a lot that’s out of your control. It’s not with any malice. It’s not with any animosity. It’s with complete gratitude for an incredible organization that’s done a ton for me.”
While Rodgers hasn’t made a decision on his future, he has heard the trade rumors. And while he said it would be “special” to finish his career in Green Bay, both he and the team have a lot to consider in the coming days and weeks.
For the Packers, is it time to reboot and give Rodgers’ hand-picked successor, Jordan Love, his shot? Or is Rodgers still viewed as the quarterback that gives the team the best chance to win a championship that’s slipped through its grasp for a dozen years?
For Rodgers, will the team that general manager Brian Gutekunst can afford to assemble around him be capable of competing for a championship?
If it’s the team’s preference to go with Love or Rodgers’ preference to chase a championship elsewhere, Rodgers seemed to be preemptively trying to spin the split in positive terms for both sides. This won’t be Brett Favre in 2008 or even what might have been in 2021.
“I’ve been there 18 years. I have lifelong friends in that organization. I have lifelong memories,” Rodgers said. “I made some of my closest friends in my life because I was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and they paid me multiple contracts. Had amazing success, I met some really special, special people. So, why would I have animosity toward that? And, on the flip side, hopefully there won’t be any animosity if that was the decision at some point.”
This is an organization, and a quarterback, at a crossroads. After reaching NFC Championship Games in 2019 and 2020, the Packers lost at home in the divisional round in 2021 and lost at home in Week 18 and failed to even reach the playoffs in 2022.
Rodgers’ performance this past season was nowhere near as sharp as it was during his MVP seasons of 2020 and 2021. Meanwhile, the team has cap problems and a young quarterback who needs to play.
So, in less than a year, Rodgers has gone from “definitely” finishing his career with the Packers to being open to playing elsewhere – should he choose to play at all.
“I have nothing but love for the fans and the amazing people I’ve met over the years at different events. It’s a beautiful, beautiful town,” Rodgers said. “So, I think there’s been a lot of fun dreaming about retiring as a Packers because there’s something really special about that. But if the competitive hole still needs to be satiated and it’s time to move on, then I hope everybody would look at that with a lot of gratitude and not any resentment.
“Or, even on the flip side, ‘Let’s fucking get rid of this old guy. It’s time to move on.’ I hope there’s some gratitude on both sides if that happens.”
Perhaps how this season played out got Rodgers ready to accept whatever his future. When the Packers were 4-8 following a loss at the Eagles that left him with injured ribs and a long-shot path to the postseason, Rodgers was understanding of the team’s desire to play its younger players – Love included – should the Packers fall all the way out of the playoff race.
“A lot of us older guys (thought), ‘If we lose another game, we could be out of this thing,’” Rodgers said. “They could be playing young guys and could be, ‘Kick these guys on down the road.’”
It never came to that, with Green Bay rallying to four consecutive victories before the season-ending debacle against the Lions. Following an 8-9 season, Rodgers once again seems understanding that the future might be now at the position he’s manned for the past 15 seasons.
“If they feel like it was in the best interests of the team to move forward, so be it,” Rodgers said. “Again, that wouldn’t offend me and it wouldn’t make me feel like a victim. I wouldn’t have any animosity towards the team. I love the organization, I love the city, I love the region. I’m a minority owner in the Bucks. I’m going to be a part of the region long after I’m done playing. I have a lot of love for what’s gone on in Green Bay. And I’d love to finish there, I would. I might have finished there. Who knows?”
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If Packers are committed to Rodgers, it’s time to trade Love
100 Days of Mocks
Starting Jan. 17, when there were 100 days until the start of the NFL Draft, we started our mock-worthy goal of 100 mock drafts in 100 days. Here’s the 100-day-countdown series.
100 days: First-round quarterback?
99 days: Trading for outside linebacker
97 days: This pick would break a long drought
96 days: NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah goes back to Georgia
95 days: Two firsts if Rodgers is traded
94 days: College Football News mocks Mayer
93 days: Safety first for Bucky Brooks in NFL.com mock
Grading the Packers
Aaron Rodgers and the quarterbacks
Aaron Jones and the running backs
Christian Watson and the receivers
Robert Tonyan and the tight ends
David Bakhtiari, Zach Tom and the offensive line
