Getty President and chief executive officer Mark Murphy of the Green Bay Packers looks on during warm-ups prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 27, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Green Bay Packers team president Mark Murphy understands their ongoing situation with franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers has left fans “divided” over the past five weeks, but he also left no room for doubt as to where the team’s priorities lie.
Writing in his monthly column for Packers.com, Murphy addressed for the first time directly the concerns fans have raised about the rift that has formed between the Packers and Rodgers, which was made public on April 29 when ESPN insider Adam Schefter broke the initial story. Both sides have since confirmed the troubles between them without providing many specifics, and Murphy seems intent on keeping things that way.
“The situation we face with Aaron Rodgers has divided our fan base,” Murphy wrote in his June 5 column. “The emails and letters that I’ve received reflect this fact. As I wrote here last month, we remain committed to resolving things with Aaron and want him to be our quarterback in 2021 and beyond. We are working to resolve the situation and realize that the less both sides say publicly, the better.”
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Murphy Reaffirms Commitment to Gutekunst
Murphy didn’t have to raise the issue of Rodgers in his column. He chooses to answer whichever fan questions he wants each month and also didn’t pick one this month that asked directly about Rodgers or the situation. The “question from Ken” was actually just an encouraging message for Murphy that read: “You have done a great job. Don’t let the bastards drag you down.”
Murphy, though, is no idiot. Fans are going to expect some mention or update about the biggest issue surrounding the team in the month of June, even if it simply restates the message the Packers have pushed from the beginning: They “want (Rodgers) back in the worst kind of way.”
At the same time, it remains to be seen what Rodgers actually wants from the Packers. He indicated during his SportsCenter interview with Kenny Mayne on May 24 the situation has nothing to do with his coaches or teammates and rather “a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go.” But unless you are fluent in vague quarterback, Rodgers’ words could be taken any number of ways.
One point that has regularly come up in insiders’ reports is Rodgers’ displeasure with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, who has made several personnel decisions — including drafting Jordan Love and cutting Jordy Nelson — that peeved his star quarterback. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, citing a source “in Rodgers’ camp,” even said resolution might not be possible if Gutekunst remains on as the Packers’ general manager.
If that’s true, don’t count on Murphy picking quarterback or executive.
“I must tell you that I have tremendous confidence in Brian Gutekunst,” Murphy wrote in response to a fan question seeking a Julio Jones trade. “In his relatively short tenure as our GM, he has completely turned around the fortunes of our team. He has put together a talented team (last year we had the most players voted to the Pro Bowl) that has a 28-8 record over the last two years, after consecutive losing seasons in 2017 and 2018, and has played in back-to-back NFC Championship games. Moreover, he has a great working relationship with head coach Matt LaFleur. He and EVP/director of football operations Russ Ball have managed our salary cap smartly and have us well-positioned for the future.”