Getty Aaron Rodgers, formerly of the Green Bay Packers.
The Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers officially parted ways in April, but now details are emerging about the strained relationship between the future Hall of Fame quarterback and the team’s front office.
The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman pulled back the curtain to highlight some of the tension between Rogers and the Packers in a May 31 article. The piece outlined multiple details surrounding Rodgers’ final years in Green Bay, from the team’s decision to draft Jordan Love in 2020 to his feelings on how they treated Davante Adams during contract negotiations in 2022.
However, the biggest detail from Schneidman’s reporting is that Rodgers gave the Packers an ultimatum in 2021. Through his agent, Rodgers asked the team to either trade him or fire general manager Brian Gutekunst, according to Schneidman.
“According to a source associated with the team who was granted anonymity to candidly discuss the sensitive dynamics between the front office and the star quarterback, early in the 2021 offseason, [Dave] Dunn, Rodgers’ agent, called Packers president Mark Murphy with a request: Fire Gutekunst or trade Rodgers,” Schneidman wrote. “Murphy did neither. Months later, news broke that Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay, but the Packers held firm.”
Rodgers returned to play for the Packers for two more seasons and was traded to the New York Jets this offseason after expressing his desire to play elsewhere, ushering in a new era for Green Bay.
Other Details From Schneidman’s Report
Along with Rodgers’ ultimatum, Schneidman revealed other key details about the star quarterback’s final few seasons in Green Bay.
While Gutekunst and Rodgers’ relationship improved slightly, the quarterback went on record to give credit to Russ Ball, the team’s director of football operations. After Rodgers publicly aired his grievances with the franchise during 2021 training camp, he acknowledged that Ball made a real effort to improve communication with the team.
“I mean, Russ definitely made an effort to be more seen, to be a better communicator, to be around more, to interact with the guys more, and I really appreciated his effort to grow and to listen to some of the things I was saying and try and make the culture and the place a better environment,” Rodgers said. “I thought Russ, more than anybody, really showed that he cared and showed a lot of personal growth, and I give him credit for that.”
Schneidman was able to get some significant quotes from Rodgers on several subjects, from Ball’s adaptability to how the team handled contract negotiations with Adams, his top wideout. After Adams revealed that the team initially offered him less than $20 million per year, Rodgers compared that to what Christian Kirk is making in Jacksonville, showing his frustrations with what was offered. Adams was eventually traded in March 2022 to the Las Vegas Raiders and later signed a five-year, $141 million with the team.
Aaron Rodgers Praises Jordan Love
Despite all of the issues that Rodgers, 39, had with the Packers and their front office, he appears to be more than supportive of Love as he prepares to take over as the starting quarterback in Green Bay.
“I like Jordan a lot,” Rodgers said in Schneidman’s story. “Jordan’s a good dude. It’s tough to be a backup behind a future Hall of Famer. You’ve got to kinda find that sweet spot. I thought he did a great job with that, but he’s a good-hearted kid. It’s undetermined, his future, but from the physical standpoint, I thought he improved his fundamentals this last year.”