All is Not Well in Green Bay
Josh Frey
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Just hours before the draft begins, Aaron Rodgers has made headlines once again. Per Adam Schefter, the MVP quarterback is telling people within the Packers’ organization that he is not interested in returning to Green Bay.
Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers is so disgruntled with the Green Bay Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team, league and team sources told ESPN on Thursday.
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— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2021
Yikes.
The two sides have been in reported dispute for the entirety of this offseason, and even back to last season when Green Bay made the questionable selection of Jordan Love in the 2020 draft. To see it out in the open like this now makes it feel more real, though. The question is, why now? Well, a couple things are probably the case. One, he’s probably just getting impatient that he doesn’t have a new contract extension yet.
Two, and I think most importantly, Rodgers knows he has the leverage in this relationship. He doesn’t need the money, (he’s getting plenty from Jeopardy!) so he can sit out if he really wants to. Green Bay knows this. Rodgers is not satisfied with the organization. Sure, they’ve been saying they are committed to him and turning down trade offers, but there is little to show in support of their quarterback in offseason acquisitions. Today is the perfect time to break this news. By hamstringing the franchise, he forces them to pick the draft prospects that he wants. If they do that, he’ll probably be happy. If not, he can sit out until they trade him or his contract expires.
Everything is still speculation, and nothing is concrete at this point, though. That said, Minnesota fans would certainly be happy to be rid of #12 from the green and gold once and for all.