Rodgers reportedly disgruntled, does not want to return to the Packers

[Mondio]

So my thinking from Rodgers comments.

There are serious fractures with he and management. That's obvious. He made it a point to say that he loves his teammates, loves the coaching staff, and loves the fanbase, but then went on to criticize the culture isn't really to his liking. He can only be talking about Murphy and Gutekunst.

He said it was never about drafting Jordan Love, but that he "threw a wrench" into the plans that the Packers set into motion last offseason. So that leads me to believe that Rodgers was either told, or he felt, that the Packers were setting a plan in motion to move on from him. And he complicated all of that by winning the MVP, and that the current situation is "spill out" from that.

So I do in fact believe that some or a lot of it is about Jordan. His comments could've strictly been pro-Love in the sense that he's trying to protect him from some of this media frenzy.

Again, my main takeaways is that Rodgers regained some leverage with the Packers after his performance last season, he's exerting some of that leverage, and he and Gutekunst most definitely do not see eye to eye and there are some real serious issues that I'm not sure can be worked through.

He also said "it's been an incredible 16 years". Almost like a goodbye comment. Could be nothing though.

As an aside, Mayne asked "do you find it's strange that the people have been conditioned that management is always right? The players are bad guys because they stand up for themselves so management must be right because loyalty to the team is paramount. " This to me is a great question.

People are certainly conditioned to accept "authority" whether that be your Teacher, preacher, management, "expert" whatever. At that same time,

Rodgers has been here a long time for an NFL QB. 16 years is a career and then some. Of course GB was making plans to move on from him, why is that not an acceptable action, to plan for the future by a group of people who's job it is to think about the future of the franchise? He might not like it, that's fine.

Where the rub is with me, he's being paid very well and his job is to play QB. I think in almost every other way the Packer FO has been pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. In business decisions and player decisions. it's not like they're cutting cap and accumulating draft picks to build around Love in another season, they're pushing money out, signing FA's, keeping the core together at a pretty high cost for at least 2 more swings at the title with our QB. I think they just had a pretty good draft. They still have winning now in the plan too.

I think Rodgers saw Brady switch to a ready team and win, and he kind of wants to. Figures GB has their replacement, get on with replacing and he'll get on with playing somewhere else without those thoughts in his head he may be replaced. I think he should worry more about the present because it will take care of his future, and let's be honest. in 2 seasons he likely could be done anyway no matter what team he's on. But he has at least 2 more good shots here as long as he avoids injury and plays well. Whether Love was here or not, if his play drops because of age or injury or whatever, he was never guaranteed beyond this year anyway.

 

[tynimiller]

So which does Gute do:

1) Continue to keep organization committed to Aaron, ignoring any trade calls and pushing forward. Maybe they even make a Kumerow return happen just to appease him.

2) Release a statement "We are committed to Aaron by both our words and actions through his contract we even wanted to extend. We are done discussing this matter and will not be trading Aaron - and will shift focus to attempting to build a Super Bowl contender with whomever is inside our practices; which we pray someday will include Aaron again."

3) We are trading Aaron Rodgers.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

So I do in fact believe that some or a lot of it is about Jordan. His comments could've strictly been pro-Love in the sense that he's trying to protect him from some of this media frenzy.

Fully agree. Aaron is very smart and knows that using the selection of Jordan Love as a deal breaker is being pretty unrealistic about how teams operate. Which I think he has discovered since the 2020 draft, isn't a very popular stance with the media and many fans. So his propping Jordan up and saying how much he likes him is an endorsement of the person that Jordan is. Rodgers sneaking in "it was never about the draft pick", feels like the same statement but in a round about way was him trying to deflect attention away from the fact that the pick of a QB did bother him. I don't remember what Aaron said right after that draft, but I remember he was clearly bothered that he wasn't informed about the pick.

As I watched it a second time I think Aaron strategically spoke directly to Jordan Love and how much he has enjoyed him - Jordan Love from all reports is impossible to dislike, high class individual....he could adore Jordan and not hold any of this against him, but the vast wedge was driven in by the pick of the guy he likes. The Love pick is different than Love the person is kinda how I took it.

Yup

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

People are certainly conditioned to accept "authority" whether that be your Teacher, preacher, management, "expert" whatever. At that same time,

Rodgers has been here a long time for an NFL QB. 16 years is a career and then some. Of course GB was making plans to move on from him, why is that not an acceptable action, to plan for the future by a group of people who's job it is to think about the future of the franchise? He might not like it, that's fine.

Where the rub is with me, he's being paid very well and his job is to play QB. I think in almost every other way the Packer FO has been pretty good. Not perfect, but pretty good. In business decisions and player decisions. it's not like they're cutting cap and accumulating draft picks to build around Love in another season, they're pushing money out, signing FA's, keeping the core together at a pretty high cost for at least 2 more swings at the title with our QB. I think they just had a pretty good draft. They still have winning now in the plan too.

I think Rodgers saw Brady switch to a ready team and win, and he kind of wants to. Figures GB has their replacement, get on with replacing and he'll get on with playing somewhere else without those thoughts in his head he may be replaced. I think he should worry more about the present because it will take care of his future, and let's be honest. in 2 seasons he likely could be done anyway no matter what team he's on. But he has at least 2 more good shots here as long as he avoids injury and plays well. Whether Love was here or not, if his play drops because of age or injury or whatever, he was never guaranteed beyond this year anyway.

Agreed and I would add something from his Kentucky Derby interview. He loves long shots. So I think he kind of sees his career in Green Bay as slowly circling the drain and really even a Super Bowl win won't do all that much to elevate what he meant to the Packers or the game of football. As you point out, he saw Brady go to another team and win a SB. Rodgers being a ultra competitive guy, sees that challenge and it fuels this even more to want out. How great would he look if he went from a team that in his mind maybe wasn't fully committed to winning it all, to a team like the 49'ers or Broncos and leading them to a SB win? He wants to ride out of the NFL a longshot winner and be able to say "I was the difference, I was one of those bricks that built this franchise."

 

[tynimiller]

"It's about character. It's about culture. It's about doing things the right way."

This seems to be the tagline many are running with this morning from Rodgers to spin as a way to say Green Bay is doing the wrong thing.

Folks need to pump the brakes mightedly there - Rodgers essentially was stating his opninion is all, which means really he said "it's about doing things the Rodgers way" more for him than anything else.

 

[thequick12]

Actually, they are. They just don't think they are. They can be fired or traded at the whim of managment. Rodgers has one job for the Packes. QB. That's it. That is his responsiblity. Nothing more, nothing less.

Yes they are it's their job just like someone who works at McDonald's but just like someone who works at McDonald's they can refuse to work for any team for any reason. And they can no call no show and just say that's it I'm done if they want too...

The difference between a sports as entertainment superstar and a regular employee is the amount of leverage the superstar holds and if you think it's the same then there's no hope for you...

 

[Half Empty]

If he said I want a trade he losses a ton of fans

And we know he cares about that because...?

 

[Half Empty]

Please explain your rationale behind your absolute statement of "Gute clearly isn't a man of character if Rodgers is this concerned."

After those years in hibernation, he comes out swinging wildly, and you want him to explain his rationale?

 

[AmishMafia]

And we know he cares about that because...?

I would expect him to be because of endorsement deals. He likes doing commercials as well as Jeopardy. Staying in the spotlight he has to maintain his 'approval rating' with the public.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I would expect him to be because of endorsement deals. He likes doing commercials as well as Jeopardy. Staying in the spotlight he has to maintain his 'approval rating' with the public.

I mean, he might lose some Packers fans but what makes you think his national appeal goes down? Trades happen a lot in sports and I think most fans that aren't personally involved in the fandom of the team a player is leaving don't really care that much.

 

[longtimefan]

And we know he cares about that because...?

He said he loves us.

Do we believe that?

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I mean, he might lose some Packers fans but what makes you think his national appeal goes down? Trades happen a lot in sports and I think most fans that aren't personally involved in the fandom of the team a player is leaving don't really care that much.

Rodgers wants to be the most liked guy in the room. What he did yesterday may have seemed off the cuff and from the heart, but its what he believes spins it the best to make him look like a victim in all this. Basically, I think he believes his own BS and thinks nobody can see through it.

The real question is, has he "earned" the ability to be the way that he is? I think some fans think that he has. Personally, I feel his passive aggressive arrogance is what many Packer fans will remember him for, at least off the field.

 

[AmishMafia]

I mean, he might lose some Packers fans but what makes you think his national appeal goes down? Trades happen a lot in sports and I think most fans that aren't personally involved in the fandom of the team a player is leaving don't really care that much.

I believe he already has trouble with national appeal. After the draft I heard on radio a national show a poll that found the least likable star QB was Rodgers.

 

[Half Empty]

He said he loves us.

Do we believe that?

Of course. Now on to that bridge someplace in NY that I can let you have at a bargain.

 

[longtimefan]

And we know he cares about that because...?

What is your point? So cyrptic...are you rodgers?

 

[jhawk008]

Most of the fans out there have a very different mentality about this situation than the players. The VAST majority of players probably side with Rodgers, while fans all across this board stick with the FO

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[Pokerbrat2000]

He said he loves us.

Do we believe that?

Reminds me of a great scene from "I Love Ya, Man"

FMC || I love you man || In your face! - YouTube

 

[Firethorn1001]

Sorry, but not buying the culture/about the people angle or what this is even about. Like stated in the thread, this is about Aaron and what he thinks should be happening and spinning that to make it appear it is some bigger thing. I guess I'm missing how the Packers aren't about the people unless there are things going on that are really hidden. They worked this year to pretty much get the band back together, I don't generally see them cutting guys and moving on from them (case in point, Preston Smith, in a cap crunch is probably launched from a large number of teams, but they worked something out. Same with Kevin King) and they really try to keep their people in the building.

Generally this is all about Aaron getting his ******* in a ***, having a chip on his shoulder (like everything else) and then mumbling a bunch of stuff that needs to be translated.

If he does get traded, I'll greatly miss Aaron the player. Aaron the personality... meh..

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I guess I'm missing how the Packers aren't about the people unless there are things going on that are really hidden.

Well the bigger picture is that the Packers are a business. Yes, like most businesses, they want to do things that in the Public eyes are favorable to the majority of people. Probably their employees come first on the surface and then fans, but ultimately, without fans, you won't need employees. So its a delicate balance of keeping your employees happy, but only as long as they are pleasing customers. Also, you never can please everyone. The Rodgers situation is a great example of how you have to sometimes do your best, maybe make a few mistakes, but ultimately what you are doing is viewed as what is best for the franchise and you might **** off a few people in the process. Now that isn't to say that Management can't be incorrect and make enough small mistakes or a few big ones, that they are fired. I think its obvious some mistakes have been made by Gute, but I don't think any glaring enough that his job should be at stake. If Rodgers is pushing "its Gute or me", I would be shocked if the Packer organization took an honest look at the situation and said "Yeah Aaron, you have a point, Gute has to go." I also doubt Aaron asked Gute to be fired. He may have said "I just can't work with him, we seem to have different philosophies", but that isn't asking for Gutes head on a pike.

I was at 20% chance of Rodgers playing for the Pack again, after yesterday, I am at about.... 12%

 

[Raptorman]

Yes they are it's their job just like someone who works at McDonald's but just like someone who works at McDonald's they can refuse to work for any team for any reason. And they can no call no show and just say that's it I'm done if they want too...

The difference between a sports as entertainment superstar and a regular employee is the amount of leverage the superstar holds and if you think it's the same then there's no hope for you...

And if Rodgers doesn't report, and the Packers don't trade him, he doesn't get paid and doesn't work. So what's his leverage again?

Oh wait, they might have to start Jordan Love. Is that a good thing for Rodgers or bad? Because as long as he doesn't report, the Packer own his rights for two more years. HE can retire, but I don't think the Packers are going the Favre route with Rodgers.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I actually hope to be able to look back in 5 years and say "Rodgers and his new team didn't win any Super Bowls, but these players and draft picks that we got out of the deal have really helped the Packers."

I actually hope to look back in five years and say that the Packers won a Super Bowl over that period, no matter who was starting at quarterback.

Because too many only pay attention to items which advance their narrative not the discussion.

Actually, you are the ones that exclude the performance of Kizer and Hundley because it doesn't fit your narrative.

You are right, of course, that the QB is very, very important. But a team, imo, cannot disregard the rest of team while paying too much to the signal caller. You are not going to win that way either.

I definitely don't want the Packers to disregard the rest of the team but there's no doubt the quarterback position is most essential to their success.

Captain. ... I’ll reiterate as concisely and delicately as I can..

I’m not scared!

You should be though

Paying Rodgers means this team will likely be T.O.A.S.T. for a solid decade once he retires.

That's simply not true at all. While it would most likely take a rebuilding year to absorb the dead money counting against the team's cap once they move on from Rodgers it should be expected them to regress that season anyway. In addition going from last to first within a single year isn't uncommon in the NFL.

IF Rodgers ends up being a trade deal and we get multiple draft picks and shed the majority of his big $ contract? That puts us in a position to inject 3-4 more bonafide starters from the draft on Rookie deals + very likely free up enough draft capital to also resign 2-3 of our most important incumbents and then search out several stellar outside FA plugs by the 2023 free agency. That’ll all happen very quickly.

Once again, I'm using the Raiders trade of Mack as a cautionary tale on how much those draft picks end up improving a team. And they didn't even trade their starting quarterback, let alone the league's MVP.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

f Rodgers is pushing "its Gute or me", I would be shocked if the Packer organization took an honest look at the situation and said "Yeah Aaron, you have a point, Gute has to go."

If Rodgers truly asked for Gutekunst to be fired there's absolutely no way the Packers should even think about complying with such a demand.

 

[PackAttack12]

If Rodgers truly asked for Gutekunst to be fired there's absolutely no way the Packers should even think about complying with such a demand.

If Rodgers indeed wants out, making that demand is a good way to do it because I think he knows that the Packers won't fire Gutekunst. And honestly, they shouldn't.

Gutekunst might have some character flaws, in that, he doesn't communicate all that well and has more than likely helped facilitating toward alienating the best QB in football. But with that being said, I still believe Gutekunst is a very good GM. I wish he were a little more aggressive in overall team building, but he's worth holding on to for the future.

I do think he has some learning to do in the department of how to handle a player of AR's caliber.

 

[OldSchool101]

Gutekunst might have some character flaws, in that, he doesn't communicate all that well and has more than likely helped facilitating toward alienating the best QB in football. But with that being said, I still believe Gutekunst is a very good GM. I wish he were a little more aggressive in overall team building, but he's worth holding on to for the future.
I do think he has some learning to do in the department of how to handle a player of AR's caliber.

Yeah I agree with you on the learning to manage players better. I guess you could say we all have flaws and the FO admitted they could’ve been better at communication. But to be frank if I may PackAttack, How does a FO communicate that we’re moving on from a player? Particularly the MVP of the league and one that’s under contract for 3 more years.

I don’t know how much more aggressive Brian could be though on the team building. He’s trying to define his career with his choice at QB and that’s about the riskiest thing I’ve seen since Ron Wolf. Not to mention his busyness in FA and his trading up in early rounds in every draft thus far. I’d say Gute has had the pedal down near full throttle since he took over. He’s taking a bunch of heat for it also and I commend him for taking a stand, regardless of what I might have done differently or my personal feelings on how this was handled.

Also, Brian Gutenkunst did not try to Sabotage the entire 2021 NFL draft and attempt to take hostages (I’m not insinuating you said that just stating an observation) That was an ugly way to handle ugly and the fact that Rodgers didn’t immediately come out with a statement to set things straight? Tells me regardless of his level of involvement.. that he doesn’t believe in doing the right thing to set the record straight and he liked being the center of attention on a ceremony intended for others. Very selfish at best. Aaron is complicit without so much as a word. He might be Field General of a leader on the field , but he’s not even worthy of a Officer status off the field.
That was a huge missed opportunity by his camp IMO and I believe it was an intentional non response.

 

[Half Empty]

What is your point? So cyrptic...are you rodgers?

Sorry. The point is that we can't possibly know whether Rodgers cares what the fans think. Probably didn't need to answer that, though, because you did yourself. No, I'm not Rodgers, any more than you are, so we can't know if he cares about alienating fans.