Jan 8, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) walks off the field following the game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
(New York, NY) – As the NFL moved into the offseason landscape earlier this year, after the Kansas City Chiefs were crowned champs and held another parade, all eyes became affixed on Aaron Rodgers.
Word had spread that the future Hall of Famer was looking to leave Green Bay, and that the Packers were open to moving on as well. But what we didn’t know was all the ugly drama unfolding behind the scenes.
Reporting from The Athletic says after the Packers drafted Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Rodgers was fed up. His agent called Green Bay’s front office and demanded the termination of GM Brian Gutekunst, or that Rodgers be traded. Contacted for the story, neither Rodgers nor agent David Dunn provided The Athletic with any comment.
That said, Rodgers has been openly critical of the culture that was allowed to develop in Green Bay. He claims that Packers’ vice president Russ Ball was the only person in the organization that made improvements. Rodgers reportedly also felt Green Bay failed to “communicate effectively.”
Still, despite all that, Rodgers was given a three-year, $150 million contract extension, after winning his second-consecutive league MVP in 2021. Past that point, Packers’ executives were reportedly unhappy with Rodgers’ “commitment and effort.
Regardless of how it happened, and the nitty, gritty details behind the frayed relationship between the QB and his original team, Jets fans are happy with the end result. Following all the drama, Rodgers has traded in the green and yellow for green and white.
That might have Packers’ fans bitter or envious, but – if reports are true – few tears are being shed in the front offices at Lambeau Field.
