Packers: Rodgers’ Chances of Returning to GB in Jeopardy!

BaseballJones

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I don't understand these QBs urgent need to grab offensive weapons, unless their (QBs) goal is to pile up huge stats. Because the goal should be to build the best TEAM possible. And maybe the best TEAM is to have your all-world QB carry the offense, and get talent on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe that's the best way to build a championship team. I mean, in the last two seasons...

- GB went 13-3, and 13-3.
- Won two straight division titles.
- Had the #15 scoring offense and #9 scoring defense in 2019.
- Had the #1 scoring offense and #13 scoring defense in 2020.
- Lost 37-20 in the NFC title game in the 2019 season.
- Lost 31-26 in the NFC title game at home in the 2020 season.

I mean, the team is really good, with lots of talent. One of the very best WRs in the entire sport (Adams), and a really good running back (Jones).

I'm not sure exactly what Rodgers wants. He's had a chance to go to the Super Bowl each of the past two seasons. But his team has given up 68 points in those two games. So maybe he should want more defensive talent added.
 

Cellar-Door

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I think part of it is...
2020 draft was a draft you make if you don't think you're contenders... and that pissed him off, as much as drafting a QB, it was that the whole draft was based on 2-3 years out.
Then he has an insane year, they go 13-3, coming up just short... (which I'm sure in the back of his head he thought... wow if we had improved WR, OL depth or Def instead of a backup QB and backup RB we might have won)

Then the offseason comes....
The GM comes to you and says... hey we need to upgrade these positions to win a title, wanna take a pay cut.... which of course is an enormous fuck you to Rodgers who carried that team on his back especially given that they have needs becasue the GM fucked up the 2020 draft.
Then... ok, so you drafted a RB in the 2nd last year, that was so you could move on from your current RB and reallocate money right... Nope. 4/48, $13M cap hit.
Then.. the GM comes crawling back and says... well we need to restructure, how about an extension? Which of course he should have done in the first place, and couched it as a reward for having a MVP season and carrying a flawed team to 13-3.

People keep arguing that he wants more weapons... but it's not clear that is the case (outside of maybe wanting one of the stud WRs in 2020)... what he wants is a GM who shows he is trying to win a title, and who respects that he is a perennial MVP candidate player.

Do we think Rodgers is as upset if they use the first 2 picks last year on Patrick McQueen and Jeremy Chinn and had a much better defense? I'm not so sure. It's not JUST that they didn't add a WR, it's that they added a Backup QB and a 3rd string RB with their 2 premium picks when the team had just made the NFC title game then got stomped because they couldn't defend at all
 

Ale Xander

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I don't understand these QBs urgent need to grab offensive weapons, unless their (QBs) goal is to pile up huge stats. Because the goal should be to build the best TEAM possible. And maybe the best TEAM is to have your all-world QB carry the offense, and get talent on the defensive side of the ball. Maybe that's the best way to build a championship team. I mean, in the last two seasons...

- GB went 13-3, and 13-3.
- Won two straight division titles.
- Had the #15 scoring offense and #9 scoring defense in 2019.
- Had the #1 scoring offense and #13 scoring defense in 2020.
- Lost 37-20 in the NFC title game in the 2019 season.
- Lost 31-26 in the NFC title game at home in the 2020 season.

I mean, the team is really good, with lots of talent. One of the very best WRs in the entire sport (Adams), and a really good running back (Jones).

I'm not sure exactly what Rodgers wants. He's had a chance to go to the Super Bowl each of the past two seasons. But his team has given up 68 points in those two games. So maybe he should want more defensive talent added.
You don't build a "best team possible" by using a 1st round pick on a backup QB.
 

Cellar-Door

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You don't build a "best team possible" by using a 1st round pick on a backup QB.
Yep, and you don't do it by drafting a RB in the 2nd, then compounding that error by not trusting him and paying a RB 13M a year in front of him.
The 2020 draft was just straight GM malpractice unless the plan was to move on from Rodgers.
 

Mystic Merlin

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The Aaron Jones contract is nuts. His cap hit is 9M next year with a negative net cap hit to cut him prior to 6/1/2022. He obviously won’t play under a 19M cap hit in year three, but they’ll eat over 6M in dead cap if they cut him after 2022.

I was stunned they re-signed him.
 

rodderick

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You don't build a "best team possible" by using a 1st round pick on a backup QB.
Rodgers has been injured in the past and was coming off 4 straight subpar seasons (for his standards). They picked a QB in the bottom of the first round. It's not the best "win now" move they could've made and if they did it without talking to Rodgers I understand him being upset, but it's not that big a deal in my book.
 

Ale Xander

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If Rodgers retires, that's TWO first ballot hall of fame QB's that went out losing to TB12 in the same playoff year.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Rodgers has been injured in the past and was coming off 4 straight subpar seasons (for his standards). They picked a QB in the bottom of the first round. It's not the best "win now" move they could've made and if they did it without talking to Rodgers I understand him being upset, but it's not that big a deal in my book.
They also traded their 4th rounder to move up in the round to get Love, then used their 2nd rounder on a guy who would become their third string RB. So three of their top four picks had essentially zero value in terms of improving near term competitiveness.

I can understand why Rodgers would be frustrated. He knows that he has a small window to win a second Super Bowl and he is playing for a franchise that doesn't seem like they have any urgency about trying to maximize their odds of winning in that window.
 
Sep 1, 2019
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Rodgers might recall that GB drafted him while Favre was quarterback--I don't recall Favre behaving like this.

Also, if Gutekunst's strategy was to motivate Rodgers (probably not, likely just incompetence), it certainly paid off in terms of 2020 performance. Unfortunately, he seems to have pushed it a bit too far.
 
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Old Fart Tree

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Rodgers might recall that GB drafted him while Favre was quarterback--I don't recall Favre behaving like this.

Also, if Gutekunst's strategy was to motivate Rodgers (probably not, likely just incompetence), it certainly paid off in terms of 2020 performance. Unfortunately, he seems to have pushed it a bit too far.
That’s what I was thinking. This is exactly what he had with Favre. He has the right to be pissed about other stuff but drafting his successor when he’s 37 isn’t one of them.
 

MuzzyField

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That’s what I was thinking. This is exactly what he had with Favre. He has the right to be pissed about other stuff but drafting his successor when he’s 37 isn’t one of them.
Had Favre started his annual retirement dance before Rodgers was drafted? I remember Favre being an attention seeking clown every summer as the team(s) had to visit his Mississippi compound to kiss his ass. I just can't remember when it started relative to the Packers drafting Rodgers.
 

Jimbodandy

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Had Favre started his annual retirement dance before Rodgers was drafted? I remember Favre being an attention seeking clown every summer as the team(s) had to visit his Mississippi compound to kiss his ass. I just can't remember when it started relative to the Packers drafting Rodgers.
Yeah that jackass isn't the best counterpoint.
 

Euclis20

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That’s what I was thinking. This is exactly what he had with Favre. He has the right to be pissed about other stuff but drafting his successor when he’s 37 isn’t one of them.
Aside from Favre annually flirting with retirement (he was openly speculating about it as early as September 2002, nearly 2.5 years before Rodgers was drafted), there are other differences. The 2004 Packers were 10-6 and lost in the WC game, compared with the 2019 Packers who were 13-3 and lost in the conference finals. The latter was clearly closer to a super bowl victory, spending a 1st round pick on a player who wouldn't help at all the following season was a terrible move. Aaron Rodgers was a no-brainer pick back in 2005 at #24. He had slid way down past where he was supposed to go, initially seen as a #1 overall possibility. Love was seen as a second round talent, and in fact the Packers gave up assets to move up and take him. Oof.

The symmetry with Favre is kind of nice to talk about, but I see this as more similar to the Pats taking Jimmy G in the 2nd round in 2014. Both Brady and Rodgers were entering their age 37 season, both had about a decade since their last super bowl win, and both reasonably seemed to no longer be at the very top of the mountain (2013 for Brady had been his worst year statistically since 2006, Rodgers was no longer talked about as the best in the league as other QBs like Mahomes and Jackson won MVPs). The difference is that Jimmy was taken at pick #62, not #26, and the Pats didn't give up additional assets to get him. Not only that, Jimmy was at least the primary backup in 2014. There's real value in that, even if he's not needed. Love was 3rd string and didn't play a single snap. The Packers lost in the conference finals in back to back years, and the 1st round pick they drafted in between gave them literally nothing on the field. Rodgers absolutely has a right to be upset, if for no other reason than the fact that the Packers completely blew that pick when they were legitimately a title contender.
 
Sep 1, 2019
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Aside from Favre annually flirting with retirement (he was openly speculating about it as early as September 2002, nearly 2.5 years before drafting Rodgers), there are other differences. The 2004 Packers were 10-6 and lost in the WC game, compared with the 2019 Packers who were 13-3 and lost in the conference finals. The latter was clearly closer to a super bowl victory, spending a 1st round pick on a player who wouldn't help at all the following season was a terrible move. Aaron Rodgers was a no-brainer pick back in 2005 at #24. He had slid way down past where he was supposed to go, initially seen as a #1 overall possibility. Love was seen as a second round talent, and in fact the Packers gave up assets to move up and take him. Oof.

The symmetry with Favre is kind of nice to talk about, but I see this as more similar to the Pats taking Jimmy G in the 2nd round in 2014. Both Brady and Rodgers were entering their age 37 season, both had about a decade since their last super bowl win, and both reasonably seemed to be on the decline (2013 for Brady had been his worst year statistically since 2006, Rodgers was no longer talked about as the best in the league as other QBs like Mahomes and Jackson won MVPs). The difference is that Jimmy was taken at pick #62, not #26, and the Pats didn't give up additional assets to get him. Not only that, Jimmy was at least the primary backup in 2014. There's real value in that, even if he's not needed. Love was 3rd string and didn't play a single snap. The Packers lost in the conference finals in back to back years, and the 1st round pick they drafted in between gave them literally nothing on the field. Rodgers absolutely has a right to be upset, if for no other reason than the fact that the Packers completely blew that pick when they were legitimately a title contender.
Thanks--this interpretation is more informed and accurate. I should have gotten more information before making the casual comparison.
 

Cellar-Door

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Yeah, Favre/Rodgers is a pretty bad/lazy comp for the following reasons:
1. Favre had said he was thinking about retiring and hadn't committed to the team beyond 1 more season, Rodgers was talking about playing into his 40s
2. The Packers weren't very good the year before.. made the playoffs, but got stomped out in Rd 1 by a division rival (a game btw where Favre was AWFUL)
3. They were bringing in a new GM, and the coach was on the hot seat
4. They were having some roster turnover and weren't projected to be a real contender the next year (they ended up going 4-12)
5. Rodgers was a projected top 5 pick we went into free-fall, Love was generally projected as probably a 2nd rounder, who they traded up for.
 

rodderick

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I think this is at least partly about Brady. Obviously Rodgers wasn't happy ever since the Love pick, but losing the NFCCG at home to Brady and the Bucs was the final straw. He saw Tom have immediate success with a franchise that apparently caters to his wants at every step and believes he's owed something similar (obviously Brady won another 6 titles for a franchise in which he had little to no control over personnel decisions, but that small fact seems to have been lost in current "QB wants to be GM" conversations).
 

Old Fart Tree

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This isn't necessarily the hill I want to die on, but I think we're missing the forest for the trees here. Yes, the two teams were in different places and arguably it was more justified for the 2005 Pack to draft Rodgers (given that detailed fact pattern) to replace Favre than it was for the 2020 Pack to draft Love to replace Rodgers... I don't really have a dog in that fight, but let's just assume that's all true. I still don't think that's the point, or the reason why Rodgers is so pissed off. (Those details - now examined at length in this thread - may increase the justification FOR Rodgers to be pissed, or the extent to which he is pissed off, but they're not the fundamental reason for him being pissed off.) I think the fundamental reason he's pissed off is because 37 year old quarterbacks don't like it when their teams draft QBs to succeed them. And he was on the other side of that situation - yes, with slightly different details - 15 years ago.
 

Cellar-Door

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We should also note that they supposedly told him he was getting traded this offseason, then backed out on it.

GB seems like a spot where the GM was trying to thread the needle between future and present, botched it and is struggling to fix it.

To me the easiest question is... would Bill or Ozzie have done that... and the answer is a resounding "of course not". Bill may have taken some shots on QBs in the mid-rounds, but no way he trades up for a QB in the middle of our run.

I look to the similar years for Brady... Bill took a QB in the 3rd and a few years later one in the 4th. But also he was picking OL and CBs and other key positions with most of his early picks, and/or trading them for possible #1 WRs (Cooks).

I think Rodgers has every reason to think that the current GM is a clown and that he has a better shot somewhere else where they'll invest in maximizing his last 4-6 years.
 

Old Fart Tree

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We should also note that they supposedly told him he was getting traded this offseason, then backed out on it.

GB seems like a spot where the GM was trying to thread the needle between future and present, botched it and is struggling to fix it.

To me the easiest question is... would Bill or Ozzie have done that... and the answer is a resounding "of course not". Bill may have taken some shots on QBs in the mid-rounds, but no way he trades up for a QB in the middle of our run.

I look to the similar years for Brady... Bill took a QB in the 3rd and a few years later one in the 4th. But also he was picking OL and CBs and other key positions with most of his early picks, and/or trading them for possible #1 WRs (Cooks).

I think Rodgers has every reason to think that the current GM is a clown and that he has a better shot somewhere else where they'll invest in maximizing his last 4-6 years.
No disagreement with any of this.
 

lambeau

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We're all a bit astonished Tom is winning rings seven years after Jimmy G was drafted to replace him, but Bill handled the evolving situation just as poorly as the Packers.
 

Old Fart Tree

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We're all a bit astonished Tom is winning rings seven years after Jimmy G was drafted to replace him, but Bill handled the evolving situation just as poorly as the Packers.
Id argue that we are in a results based business here and winning three Super Bowls in those seven years undermines the idea that he handled it poorly.

In your opinion, would handling it ‘better’ have meant four Super Bowls or five? Or is your definition of ‘better’ predicated on some other metric, like employee satisfaction? It’s fine if you do, it’s just not how I would define ‘better.’
 

Cellar-Door

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We're all a bit astonished Tom is winning rings seven years after Jimmy G was drafted to replace him, but Bill handled the evolving situation just as poorly as the Packers.
he really didn't at all, he took a QB in the 2nd who became a backup he also made the best team possible and they won 2 of the next 3 superbowls, and when it was clear that Brady had years left they traded the backup QB for picks to restock.
 

Old Fart Tree

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he really didn't at all, he took a QB in the 2nd who became a backup he also made the best team possible and they won 2 of the next 3 superbowls, and when it was clear that Brady had years left they traded the backup QB for picks to restock.
Yeah, if that’s handling it badly I wish I could handle all decisions in my career that badly.
 

jose melendez

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Cellar-Door

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This may have turned me around on Rodgers. Favre was a piece of shit, and Rodgers sniffed it out immediately.
My read on Rodgers is that he takes absolutely no shit from phonies, and he holds a grudge forever. That's a good quality in an elite player, as it lets you keep that "nobody believes in me but me" mentality a lot of the greats have, but it's a personality you have to deal with carefully as a GM, because if you try to bullshit him he's not gonna play the game. The GM 100% tried to bullshit him and now ROdgers is never going to give him an inch.
 

Euclis20

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My read on Rodgers is that he takes absolutely no shit from phonies, and he holds a grudge forever. That's a good quality in an elite player, as it lets you keep that "nobody believes in me but me" mentality a lot of the greats have, but it's a personality you have to deal with carefully as a GM, because if you try to bullshit him he's not gonna play the game. The GM 100% tried to bullshit him and now ROdgers is never going to give him an inch.
Agreed, plus I don't see him as a particularly effective leader. Favre is a giant ass in that story but Rodgers doesn't look that great either. The BR report article a couple of years ago pegged him pretty accurately, I think:

View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2828649-what-happened-in-green-bay
 

lexrageorge

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We're all a bit astonished Tom is winning rings seven years after Jimmy G was drafted to replace him, but Bill handled the evolving situation just as poorly as the Packers.
Time for the obligatory reminder that JG and Brady shared the same agent, so there was zero chance of the Pats being able to keep both after the 2017 season.

Time for the 2nd obligatory reminder that Kraft negotiated Brady's last contract extension which included the automatically voidable years. Some of that cap space saved during the restructure was used to sign Antonio Brown in an attempt to go all in during Brady's final season in New England.

Meanwhile, 3 Lombardi's later....
 

mwonow

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Time for the obligatory reminder that JG and Brady shared the same agent, so there was zero chance of the Pats being able to keep both after the 2017 season.

Time for the 2nd obligatory reminder that Kraft negotiated Brady's last contract extension which included the automatically voidable years. Some of that cap space saved during the restructure was used to sign Antonio Brown in an attempt to go all in during Brady's final season in New England.

Meanwhile, 3 Lombardi's later....
Speaking of reminders - just those three trophies would tie the late-career Bradies with Denver, Washington and the Raiders for fourth on the all-time Lombardis list, ahead of the Colts, Ravens, Dolphins and 20 other franchises.
 

DJnVa

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We're all a bit astonished Tom is winning rings seven years after Jimmy G was drafted to replace him, but Bill handled the evolving situation just as poorly as the Packers.
Lol. Not really.
 

Kliq

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Even if Rodgers is still pissed about the Love pick and a bunch of other missteps the front office has made, where is he going to go that is a better spot than Green Bay? Even if you think the front office has screwed up some stuff, Green Bay is still a team that went 13-3 last season and made it to the NFC Championship Game. They have a great #1 WR, some okay options for the other slots, an emerging TE, a good O-line, a very good running back group, and a defense that can make some plays. They are a strong team that should win 12+ games next season. If Rodgers leaves, where is he going that will be a better situation? He missed the chance to go to the Rams, teams like the Bears and 49ers just invested heavily in QBs in the draft, Denver is not a better team with Rodgers than Green Bay is...where is he going? If he wants out, I don't think it will be to a team that gives him a better chance to win.
 

Cellar-Door

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Even if Rodgers is still pissed about the Love pick and a bunch of other missteps the front office has made, where is he going to go that is a better spot than Green Bay? Even if you think the front office has screwed up some stuff, Green Bay is still a team that went 13-3 last season and made it to the NFC Championship Game. They have a great #1 WR, some okay options for the other slots, an emerging TE, a good O-line, a very good running back group, and a defense that can make some plays. They are a strong team that should win 12+ games next season. If Rodgers leaves, where is he going that will be a better situation? He missed the chance to go to the Rams, teams like the Bears and 49ers just invested heavily in QBs in the draft, Denver is not a better team with Rodgers than Green Bay is...where is he going? If he wants out, I don't think it will be to a team that gives him a better chance to win.
I think he's thinking over a 3-4 year period. One of the mentioned teams in DEN, and that makes some sense. They have WR and TE talent, they have talent on defense. The O-Line may need some work, but they did address it in the draft. They're a team that last year had some issues, but the biggest ones were QB and losing major players to injury, and they have cap space coming up.
 

tmracht

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Even if Rodgers is still pissed about the Love pick and a bunch of other missteps the front office has made, where is he going to go that is a better spot than Green Bay? Even if you think the front office has screwed up some stuff, Green Bay is still a team that went 13-3 last season and made it to the NFC Championship Game. They have a great #1 WR, some okay options for the other slots, an emerging TE, a good O-line, a very good running back group, and a defense that can make some plays. They are a strong team that should win 12+ games next season. If Rodgers leaves, where is he going that will be a better situation? He missed the chance to go to the Rams, teams like the Bears and 49ers just invested heavily in QBs in the draft, Denver is not a better team with Rodgers than Green Bay is...where is he going? If he wants out, I don't think it will be to a team that gives him a better chance to win.
As one TB12 once quipped: "It's about honor. It's about respect." I wouldn't be shocked if he was just pissed off enough that a slight step back in chance of winning was worth more than having to deal with management you perceived lied to or deceived you or just didn't respect your ability going forward.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Even if Rodgers is still pissed about the Love pick and a bunch of other missteps the front office has made, where is he going to go that is a better spot than Green Bay? Even if you think the front office has screwed up some stuff, Green Bay is still a team that went 13-3 last season and made it to the NFC Championship Game. They have a great #1 WR, some okay options for the other slots, an emerging TE, a good O-line, a very good running back group, and a defense that can make some plays. They are a strong team that should win 12+ games next season. If Rodgers leaves, where is he going that will be a better situation? He missed the chance to go to the Rams, teams like the Bears and 49ers just invested heavily in QBs in the draft, Denver is not a better team with Rodgers than Green Bay is...where is he going? If he wants out, I don't think it will be to a team that gives him a better chance to win.
Here's an intriguing thought (without having looked into the cap mechanics at all)...would the Dolphins be interested? Certainly they wouldn't be willing to give up as much as they would have had to get Watson, but Tua + some low picks might be enough to get a deal done, and you can kinda see how that would make sense for both teams. For the Dolphins, it would be a move to solidify their already very-good team into a true championship contender for the next few years - they'd absolutely be sacrificing the future to some degree but there is still a wide range of outcomes for Tua such that I don't know whether you turn down the chance at even late-career Rodgers in the hope that Tua becomes a true franchise QB. And the Packers would then have Tua and Love to compete in camp, with whoever didn't win out in that competition immediately filling the backup role.

And I don't know for sure, but I'd assume Rodgers would take that in a second as it would pair him with a great young coach, a very solid team, and, like Brady, he'd get to live in warm, sunny, state-income-tax-free Florida.
 

Kliq

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Here's an intriguing thought (without having looked into the cap mechanics at all)...would the Dolphins be interested? Certainly they wouldn't be willing to give up as much as they would have had to get Watson, but Tua + some low picks might be enough to get a deal done, and you can kinda see how that would make sense for both teams. For the Dolphins, it would be a move to solidify their already very-good team into a true championship contender for the next few years - they'd absolutely be sacrificing the future to some degree but there is still a wide range of outcomes for Tua such that I don't know whether you turn down the chance at even late-career Rodgers in the hope that Tua becomes a true franchise QB. And the Packers would then have Tua and Love to compete in camp, with whoever didn't win out in that competition immediately filling the backup role.

And I don't know for sure, but I'd assume Rodgers would take that in a second as it would pair him with a great young coach, a very solid team, and, like Brady, he'd get to live in warm, sunny, state-income-tax-free Florida.
Miami's skill position players are way behind Green Bay's, imo. All I'm saying that I don't think Rodgers' goal here seems to be getting himself into the best position to win right now, it seems more like he is just sick of the management in Green Bay, and he is being a baby about it.
 

Average Reds

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I'm kind of astonished that people are giving Rodgers any shit for the dust-up with the Packers.

He is acting in a way that all NFL teams should be familiar with, because, without exception, every team acts in their best interest and treats players like disposable garbage. Rodgers is the rare player with enough leverage to reverse the dynamics and insist that he will call the shots in terms of what is best for him. And I'm with him 100% on that.

Beyond this, he seems seems to be handling it exactly the way you'd want a veteran to handle it. (In contrast to some of his actions early in his career.) He made his position clear to the GB front office. He hasn't trash talked the team. He's sticking to his resolve.

I'll also add that watching Matt LaFleur cough up a fur ball in the NFC Championship game (6 years after watching Mike McCarthy do the exact same thing) would be enough to break me as a top QB in the NFL. You have a limited number of years in the sport. Why waste them with an idiot coach who throws your season away by refusing to compete when the situation called for it?
 

Kliq

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If Rodgers didn't throw three passes 1000 mph on first and goal, or just ran it into the endzone when it looked like he could make it, we wouldn't be talking about LaFleur deciding to kick the field goal.

I'll be honest, I have little tolerance for Rodgers' demands because I think he has gotten an unbelievable pass from the media over the years for continuing to fail in the playoffs. Was the Love pick stupid? Sure, but so what? I still think they are in good shape to contend and if Rodgers is committed to winning instead of feuding with the front office, he should stick around. This is very different than Brady leaving the Patriots, who were imo, clearly not a contender when he left as a FA.
 

Cellar-Door

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I am 10000% team Rodgers, even if he is unreasonable, for a simple reason... the NFL teams treat their players like absolute shit at all times, and it would be excellent for the players like Rodgers who could possibly change that to do so. I hope Rodgers just forces them to trade him to the place he wants for mediocre to poor compensation or just get nothing for him.
 

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Leaving in a bit to the studio :)
This just caused a big brouhaha: one of the regulars at the local dog park rolled in around 4pm today and announced that Rodgers to Denver was announced as a done deal. In unison, every guy there whipped out his phone and looked for the news: nada, zip, bupkis. He then walked it back a bit by saying that his wife just heard it and she relayed it to him.

The guy who announced it immediately called his wife to ask where she heard it, as he now looks like an A-hole to every guy there....
 
Sep 1, 2019
170
That public embarassment notwithstanding, I still think Rodgers shoots his way out of GB and ends up in Denver....where he will be in the same division as Mahomes. That may not work out so well, but perhaps he wants it that way.

he has gotten an unbelievable pass from the media over the years for continuing to fail in the playoffs
Completely agree. The media ballwashing of Rogers has been nauseating (but not quite to Peyton levels), especially when paired with the Brady hatred and Rogers distinctly unimpressive playoff record.