Aaron Rodgers opted to sit out Green Bay Packers minicamp after demanding to be traded prior to the NFL Draft. By all accounts, he is willing to sacrifice millions in fines for holding out.
Rodgers’ teammates have come out recently and admitted that he is petty enough to stick to his guns for the long haul – no matter how much cash it costs him.
Barring something major changing, it looks like Rodgers’ relationship with the Packers will end about as messily as Brett Favre’s did prior to him taking over.
Favre famously felt like Green Bay was pushing him out the door before he was ready in order to set up Rodgers.
This week Favre decided to speak out on his successor and the franchise with which he spent the majority of his career on an episode of the “Bolling with Favre” podcast.
“No one should be surprised,” he said.
“In the big picture, I don’t know what’s gonna happen … It’s not the first time someone’s missed a minicamp or an OTA or a mandatory participation, whatever that may be. But you shouldn’t be surprised.”
As far as Favre is concerned, contrary to what has been reported in the media, Rodgers’ problem with the Packers isn’t the organization’s decision to draft Jordan Love as his replacement. Rather, it has to do with the front office parting ways with personnel he was personally fond of.
Mind you, this isn’t the first time someone has suggested that.
In Favre’s estimation, any potential resolution between Rodgers and the Packers will come down to one thing.
“I think the question really comes down to, can the issue or issues be fixed between Aaron and, we assume, Brian Gutekunst, the GM. Can those be resolved? … Or is it deeper than that?”
Favre wasn’t the only legendary quarterback to weigh in on what’s happening between Rodgers and the Packers, though. Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did the same this week.
“I respect Aaron a lot. Aaron’s going to make the choices he feels are best for him,” he told USA Today.
“Everyone has different dynamics in their work. Everyone else has different choices. But I have a lot of respect for Aaron and everything he’s accomplished in the league.”
So is there a resolution in sight for Rodgers and the Packers?
Yikes. https://t.co/rP9DViKpei
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 14, 2021
“You know my saying: Deadlines spur action,” former team exec Andrew Brant said on The Ross Tucker Football Podcast this week.
“And somehow I don’t think training camp is the deadline for Aaron and the Packers. What is it? Late August? Early September? He doesn’t need training camp. … I don’t think training camp is the deadline at all. And secretly like (with) minicamp, the Packers wouldn’t mind that because they could give (backup quarterback) Jordan Love real reps.”
Currently there is really only one legitimate trade suitor out there for Rodgers’ services.
The Packers have quietly made their asking price clear – but thus far it has not been met.
Will that change over the next few weeks? Time will tell.
Related: Is A Big Trade Brewing Between Eagles, Jaguars?
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
