Getty Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field on November 17, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
This season will mark the end of an era for the Green Bay Packers.
That is the message that long-time Packers reporter Bob McGinn sent on the Go Long Podcast with Tyler Dunne on Friday, February 17, during which he cited a source with “firsthand knowledge” of the situation in Green Bay.
“They are done with Rodgers,” McGinn said. “He’s not coming back. I mean, they’re disgusted with him, and they’re done with him, and they’re moving on.”
Rodgers, Packers Have Been Vague About Future Plans and Timelines
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers throws a pass during a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on January 1, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kayla Wolf/Getty Images)
McGinn’s reporting is a startling break from the company line on the QB situation in Green Bay, which has officially been that the franchise is waiting on Rodgers to make a decision about his retirement, as well as where he would like to play if he returns, before the Packers determine their path forward.
However, there have been some cracks in the front-facing facade of both the team and its four-time MVP quarterback when it comes to the above messaging.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on January 29 that Green Bay “prefers to move on” from Rodgers this offseason.
Two days later on January 31, Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show that he found it “interesting” that team brass appeared to be having discussions about his future without him. He said at that time that he would be closer to his own decision within a couple of weeks, adding later that he had planned a four-day darkness retreat after the Super Bowl to help guide him toward his own best path forward. That retreat is set to begin sometime near the end of this week.
Rodgers Will Back Up QB Jordan Love if Packers Don’t Find Trade
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers runs into the tunnel after a win over the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on November 13, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
If Rodgers decides his path leads back to Green Bay, he may come to be disappointed with that decision.
McGinn said Friday that he is “totally convinced” that the Packers will part ways with Rodgers this offseason. He went on to contend that if the quarterback does demand a return to Green Bay, he will serve as the backup to Jordan Love, who has started just one game across three NFL seasons.
General manager Brian Gutekunst said in December that the Packers want Rodgers back as their quarterback in 2023. However, he also said during the same press conference that the franchise had “seen what it needs to see” in order pick up the fifth-year option on Love and lock him into his contract through 2024. The team must make its decision on Love by May.
Rodgers is set to earn nearly $60 million next year, a figure that has most believing the 39-year-old will return for his 19th NFL season. He also carries a salary cap hit of $40.7 million in 2024. Love’s salary cap hit for a fifth season would range upwards of $20.3 million, meaning Green Bay would owe $61 million against the cap if both players remain on the roster two years from now — a total that would presumably be the highest in the league.
Thus, based on McGinn’s reporting, the only option for the Packers should Rodgers decide to return is to find a trade. The team can not afford to cut him, as the QB carries a dead salary cap number of more than $99 million next year.
The likeliest of trade partners currently include the New York Jets and the Las Vegas Raiders, though quarterback Derek Carr’s entrance into the free agent market and the Jets’ potential interest in him could throw a wrench in the proceedings and impact Rodgers’ trade value.