The answer?
This 3 time and reigning NFL MVP’s “beautiful mystery” has turned ugly.
The question?
Who is Aaron Rodgers?
Just hours from the start of the NFL draft, the most anticipated event of the off-season, the 16 year veteran quarterback of the Green Bay Packers dropped a bombshell via ESPN’s Adam Schefter who reported Rodgers has informed the organization he no longer wants to play for them.
That touched off a furious array of social media posts that included the San Francisco 49ers offering the number three overall pick, Jimmy Garoppolo and several front line players for Rodgers, a deal rumor shot down later in the day. Just before the draft began, the Denver Broncos were as close to a deal as you can get for Rodgers according to Mark Schlereth.
Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst was forced to issue a statement late Thursday afternoon saying, “As we’ve stated since the season ended, we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond. Aaron has been a vital part of our success and we look forward to competing for another championship with him leading our team.”
Rodgers appeared to put aside his unhappiness over the Packers drafting his successor in Jordan Love a year ago, repeatedly saying he came to peace with his place in life and just wanted to enjoy the moment and play as well as he could. He did, leading the Packers to a second straight conference championship game after his third most valuable award campaign of his career.
After that came he uttered cryptic comments about the uncertain futures of teammates and himself that touched off a flood of speculation.
The Packer front office, President and CEO Mark Murphy and Gutekunst were both adamant that Rodgers would remain the leader of the team. He has three years remaining on the 137 million dollar contract extension signed in 2019.
Because of the depressed salary cap across the NFL this spring, the Packers restructured contracts of several players to get under the cap and allow them to retain running back Aaron Jones and Kevin King but they left the Rodgers deal alone.
Aaron was insistent on getting some additional security that would not leave him as a caretaker quarterback until the team transitioned to Love.
According to reports, Murphy, Gutekunst and even Head Coach Matt LaFleur made trips to the west coast to talk with Rodgers. The quarterback’s agent, David Dunn, came to Green Bay to try and work out the situation but with little progress, Rodgers has now apparently thrown down the gauntlet.
It all leaves me to believe there’s something more than the financial commitment or the presence of Love that has led Rodgers to this conclusion. I’m just not sure what it could be. It’s put the organization in a horrendous position.
13 years ago, the change of heart from a retired Brett Favre after Rodgers played understudy for three seasons, forced Ted Thompson’s hand and dealt Favre to the Jets. Gutekunst now may be the first GM to trade a reigning MVP to appease a quarterback who has earned more than 240 million dollars from his employer, played on a consistent winner and annual Super Bowl contender, and it’s apparently still not enough.
