A rather explosive account regarding the Packers’ interest in Aaron Rodgers remaining their starter in 2023 surfaced over the weekend, and the future Hall of Fame quarterback has not yet informed his team about his intentions to play next season. But a path to stay in Green Bay may well remain viable.
The Packers would like to have Rodgers back, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance (video link), as long as he is fully bought in. The caveat here could be scrutinized, based on the weekend report that indicated Rodgers was not fully bought in last year, but the star quarterback still having a route to being Green Bay’s starter is certainly interesting given his place atop the QB domino set this offseason.
GM Brian Gutekunst deferred to Rodgers’ four MVPs when asked if he believes the incumbent starter still gives the Packers the best chance to win. Gutekunst also said Jordan Love is ready to play. If Rodgers re-emerges from his darkness retreat and tells the Packers he wants out or informs the team he is retiring, Love will finally get the call to start. If Rodgers says he wants to stay, as he did last year, then it becomes complicated. The report from longtime Packers writer Bob McGinn indicated Gutekunst, team president Mark Murphy and HC Matt LaFleur are done with the increasingly outspoken passer.
Rodgers’ past of grudge-holding may well come into play regarding the Packers’ power structure potentially throwing out negative opinions about him, but he also mended fences with Murphy and Gutekunst after his 2021 trade request. Another Rodgers return would stand to further stall Love’s ascent. It should be expected, despite McGinn noting Rodgers returning would be as a Love backup, Rodgers would not be thrust into a quarterback competition if he opted to stay in Green Bay. But if the Packers are truly ready to turn the page, as they did when they transitioned from Brett Favre to Rodgers ahead of the latter’s fourth season back in 2008, it opens the door to Love starting and an odd trade sweepstakes commencing.
The Broncos were the team most closely tied to Rodgers since his trade request became public just before the 2021 draft, but Pelissero adds they would not have sent the Packers the haul they gave the Seahawks because of the uncertainty surrounding Rodgers’ future. While Russell Wilson underwhelmed to a concerning degree in 2022, the Broncos sent the Seahawks the two-first-rounder-fronted package because Wilson expressed no near-future retirement plans. Rodgers’ year-to-year setup will complicate interested teams’ trade proposals.
Interested teams will be less inclined to surrender significant assets if they are unsure Rodgers will play in 2024. Although he is signed through 2025, the 18-year veteran returning in 2023 would seem likely to precede him considering retirement next year as well.
The Jets continue to wait on Rodgers, who is their top choice, and the Raiders have been linked to Rodgers replacing Derek Carr. The ex-Raiders QB and the Jets have mutual interest, and unless the Rodgers trade derby officially takes off soon, the Jets may need to make a choice. Carr also has other suitors, the Saints among them, and Rodgers could have NFC teams pursuing him as well. The Packers would want to send Rodgers to the AFC, and his three-year, $150.8MM contract does not include a no-trade clause. But Rodgers can effectively tell the Packers he will retire unless they send him to his preferred team, putting the NFC — should the QB identify a team he wants to play for in that conference — back in play.
Rodgers’ contract calls for a $58.3MM 2023 guarantee. That can be paid at any point before the season, though the 39-year-old quarterback would need to agree to a reworked contract to facilitate a trade. Presently, the Packers would be tagged with $40MM-plus in dead money if they dealt Rodgers before June 1. This set of moving parts clouds the quarterback market, but a resolution is expected to come soon.
Drama queen
Yes, he is a drama queen because someone else made a comment about his future in Green Bay.
Good one.
You must be new to the Aaron Rodgers Experience (TM)
He is a drama King. Is that better?
Yes, he is a drama king because someone else made a comment on his future in Green Bay.
Beliefs about Rodgers’ mercurial personality aside, the Packers’ success will once again depend on what type of team the Packers field as a whole. The young receivers made a lot of progress, but they got spoiled by years of Adams forcing his way into defenses. No matter how good your QB is, and how good the running game is, winnings championship is still a full team achievement. Rodgers doesn’t seem to have the same mentality as his younger years due to team complacency, and I don’t think that the team can just rely on him to be the driving force anymore. He’s still going to be the best or near best player on the field, but if the Packers can have that spark come from somewhere else (ala Davis and Elway), that could be what they need. This second part is all just my opinion of course, but that’s where I think Green Bay is at now, personally.
Not sure why the Packers should be struggling with “team complacency”. When did they last win a championship? In any event it’s a head coaches job to deal with players who just want to coast instead of working hard.
Winning NFL football is 51% QB play, 49% everyone else.
I’d be interested to see the scientific formula that produced those results. What are the corresponding percentages for Losing NFL football? I would suspect the QB number would be higher since they are the player most responsible for turnovers.
Urggghhhh get rid of this karen already
Screw McGin above all else. He’s a buffoon.
Between the contract with the 2023 guarantee, the team’s desire to avoid trading him to an NFC rival, his inability to commit to playing in future seasons, a team acquiring him needing to renegotiate his contract, the dead cap hit to the Packers, the Packers’ impending need to sign Love to another contract (largely on promise alone), etc., I’m not sure the Packers and Rodgers could’ve made this any more difficult.
It’s not even a game of chicken, it’s like freeze tag and they’re both frozen.
This is all media hype. Green Bay can’t say anything that would affect his trade value, so of course they “want him back”. He won’t be in green and gold if he plays next year.
Can Bob McGinn and his biased writing retire already.
When AR12 emerges his enlightenment by darkness, he will see his shadow and remain in Green Bay.
Last week it was “Packers are ready to move on from Rodgers”. This week it’s “Packers open to Rodgers return”. These guys don’t know. They’re just trying to stay relevant in the off season.
It is amazing how a single Tweet can drive a whole narrative nowadays.
As a Vikings fan I hope they hold onto him, this team isn’t going anywhere and by keeping him they won’t get picks from trading him and they won’t get to see if Love is worth anything. Holding onto him delays their retooling by a few years. I think this would really benefit the Lions and to a lesser extent the Bears (who already have a head start on their rebuild though they’re still the Bears and will find a way to screw it up).
The writers at PFR are waiting breathlessly for Rodgers’ next appearance with Pat McAfee…
GB Packers –> Fast Forward Button (for, like, a year).
this is sort of funny, but last point might be what really determines things…
link to thedarkness.substack.com
It must truly suck being a Packers fan.
You are kidding right?
Last playoff appearance (in years):
New York Jets – 12
Denver Broncos – 7
Detroit Lions – 6
Carolina Panthers – 5
Atlanta Falcons – 5
That has nothing to do with being a Packers’ fan.
By and large, the Packers under-achieve every year, and the fans have to put up with it and Rodgers’ diva attitude and gigantic ego.
The fans deserve better.
NYC would be a better market for Rodgers. The Packers (and almost no one else) can’t afford to pay his salary, so the trade compensation would have to be pretty meagre.
Who the heck trades for a $60 million/year QB with inconsistent form? The numbers are complicated but no matter how you run them, it’s a lot of money. Better to keep the draft picks if building and fielding a competitive team is what matters.
Serious question: Do the New England Patriots regret not resigning Tom Brady?
Is this posturing or more of the same old story with their relationship?