Rodgers or Love? Gutekunst Faces Defining Decision
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brian Gutekunst, you’re on the clock.
The Green Bay Packers’ general manager made a monumental decision when he traded up to draft Jordan Love in 2020. He faces an equally momentous decision now with Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers and the New York Jets have talked about a path together. The Jets made their pitch on Tuesday. A group that included offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett didn’t make a cross-country trip to California to get out of the cold, as a source said. As the leader of an organization, you don’t go to such great lengths without the intention of sealing the deal.
The Jets think they have a championship-contending team. There’s only one quarterback available who’s good enough to get them there. Spoiler: It’s not Jimmy Garoppolo or Jameis Winston.
Presumably, the Jets and the Packers have hammered out at least the framework for a trade. Trying to convince Rodgers to leave Green Bay without such an agreement in place would be like kicking the extra point before scoring the touchdown.
The Jets need Rodgers. Period.
Do the Packers? Question mark.
For all the outside conjecture about Rodgers having the leverage, it’s Gutekunst who holds the cards. Assuming Rodgers wants to play (we don't know) and he likes being the object of the Jets' desires and the opportunity to be a New York icon (he does), Gutekunst can trade Rodgers to the Jets and hit the reset button in hopes that taking one or two steps backward will result in the franchise taking two or three steps forward. Or he can keep Rodgers and try, once again, to build a Super Bowl team around one of the greatest players in NFL history.
These are the options that put general managers in halls of fame or the unemployment line.
Gutekunst, along with coach Matt LaFleur, have raved about Love’s development over the last 12 months. He’s “ready,” has been Gutekunst’s go-to line.
Is he? Surely, Gutekunst has a good idea. None of the rest of us have any idea.
From my perspective, he was terrible at Kansas City in 2021, when he made his first NFL start in one of the toughest stadiums in the NFL. He was terrible at Detroit in 2021, when he led a group of (mostly) backups during the second half.
In 2022, he wasn’t anything special during training camp but that was with mostly young backups. When he was thrust into action at Philadelphia under the primetime lights in November, he looked like a legitimate NFL quarterback – with the caveat that he threw nine passes against a prevent defense. During the regular season, he led the scout-team offense against the No. 1 defense. Reporters don’t get to see those competitive periods.
So, Gutekunst and the coaches know if Love is “ready” and what “ready” means for the future of the franchise. Everyone else is dealing with incomplete information.
If Gutekunst trades Rodgers and Love flourishes, he will have guaranteed another decade-plus of being a championship contender. From that perspective, he will have followed Ted Thompson’s formula of drafting Rodgers and trading Brett Favre to perfection.
If Gutekunst trades Rodgers, the Jets soar and Love crashes, Gutekunst probably will be fired for the double crime of drafting him in the first place and then giving him the starting job.
If Gutekunst sticks with Rodgers and the Packers continue their downward trajectory – NFC Championship Game appearances in 2019 and 2020, one-and-done in 2021 and 8-9 in 2022 – he probably will be fired, as well, for the double crime of choosing the 39-year-old Rodgers and wasting the Love pick.
But there is the alternate ending here. Gutekunst keeps Rodgers, who promises to be a more active participant in the offseason program – not just to build chemistry on offense but to set the tone throughout the locker room. With a healthy thumb and the presumptive Year 2 jumps by Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, the offense flourishes. An explosive offense feeds into a ballhawking defense. Voila, Rodgers has the Packers contending for a championship again.
Of course, there’s no crystal ball. Maybe Rodgers-Love is a no-win debate, like taking the left turn to the alligators or the right turn to the quicksand.
Regardless, the choices are clear, even if the outcomes are not. Gutekunst can hitch his wagon to Love and hope he was right in 2020. Or he can hitch his wagon to Rodgers and hope that doing the same thing again and again isn’t the definition of insanity.
The epitaph of his career will be written on what comes next.
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