Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers smiles after the win against the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field on November 10, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
James Jones still believes the situation between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers is “fixable” after keeping in regular contact with the reigning NFL MVP over the past few months, but he also recognizes the front office will have to give him more say in certain personnel decision in order to make that happen.
Jones, a former Packers wide receiver and longtime friend of Rodgers, added some more context to the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s current holdout situation during his interview on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Tuesday, telling the Fox Sports host that he and Rodgers talk “all the time” and insisting that several of the rumors circulating right now are inaccurate.
For starters, Jones said Rodgers’ beef with the Packers is “not about getting the GM (Brian Gutekunst) fired” or securing “new money” from the team for his contract. He also said it has nothing to do with the players the Packers bring into the building — such as first-round quarterback Jordan Love — but rather the players who have been shown the door.
Here’s what Jones said about the “input” Rodgers is seeking with the Packers:
For him, I think the most important thing is not who you’re bringing in. ‘I can’t control who you draft, I can’t control who you bring in in free agency, but what I do want a little input on is the guys you’re letting out of the building.’ When you’ve got guys like Jordy Nelson who are willing to take a pay cut to play (and) you say, ‘No, get out of here anyways, you’re going to play with these guys that we’ve got here.’ — sometimes that can tick you off a little bit. Jordy Nelson can finish sentences for Aaron Rodgers. Just because this guy can run a little faster than him doesn’t mean I’m going to get more success with this other guy.
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Jones: Rodgers Wants Input on Packers Roster Cuts
Speaking on Rodgers’ behalf without his knowledge is a dangerous game to play, so it stands to reason Jones wouldn’t have said anything he told Cowherd without getting some form of approval from the veteran quarterback. That’s good news for Packers fans holding out hope for Rodgers to return and lead the team in 2021.
While Jones declined to share “private” details about their conversations, he spent the interview pushing the idea that things can be fixed between the two sides. (He said the word “fixable” five times in response to Cowherd’s first question.) Rodgers may very well believe that is the case, too; though, the string attached would seem to be giving him some form of say or input over which players are cut from — not added to — the Packers’ roster.
“He doesn’t care about who you bring in there. He loves his teammates, he’s always out there ready to ride for his teammates, and he wants to keep some of the guys that have been in that building that helps this team win whether you think they might be done,” Jones said. “It’s not just about this past season. It goes back, there’s a lot built up into it. It goes back to the Charles Woodsons, the Clay Matthews’, the Julius Peppers’, the Jordy Nelsons’, the James Jones’.”
Jones Believes Rodgers Will Attend Training Camp
Doubts about Rodgers’ future with the Packers have been swelling over the past month. Veteran Packers insiders have been saying they don’t believe Rodgers will be under center when the 2021 season begins in September, based on what they have been told. Rodgers also officially began his holdout from the team when he opted not to show up for Tuesday’s start of three-day mandatory minicamp.
Jones doesn’t believe Packers fans will have to wait too long for a resolution, though. In fact, he thinks the organization can patch things up with their franchise quarterback before training camp begins at the end of July due to Rodgers’ willingness to negotiate with the team.
“I truly believe it’s fixable because he’s willing to go in there and make sure they can get this thing right and get it fixable and go out there and put the best football team on the field and compete for a championship,” Jones said. “That’s why I truly believe he will be there for training camp. This will get fixed, and I think the relationship will get much better between him and the GM.”