Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks to the sideline during a game against the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field on December 19, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Panthers 24-16.
The Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers would seem to have very different philosophies about the involvement of their star quarterbacks.
During an interview on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians shared some details about the ways the organization kept Tom Brady in the loop ahead of the 2021 NFL draft. Not only did the Bucs make Brady aware of their plans to draft a quarterback prior to taking Kyle Trask in the second round, but they also asked him to scout several potential receiving prospects that interested the team.
“Oh yeah, we talked about the whole thing, what we were thinking,” Arians told Eisen after the host alluded to Aaron Rodgers’ situation in Green Bay. “We had a number of conversations. As we got closer and closer, I said, ‘Hey, check this guy out, check this guy out, and see if you like him.’ Yeah, we have a great relationship that way. I think that’s imperative.”
Arians added that he specifically told Brady: “Look at these receivers and see if there is something you like, and I will critique your ability to critique receivers.”
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Rodgers Treated Differently in Green Bay
Draft decisions about quarterbacks and receivers have been a touchy subject with Rodgers and the Packers over the past 16 months. Green Bay infamously traded up and selected quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 draft, giving no notice whatsoever to Rodgers about their plans to potentially land his replacement. He had also publicly expressed interest in seeing them take a new receiver less than an hour before Love’s selection.
A little more than a year later, the Packers are uncertain whether Rodgers — who won his third career NFL MVP in 2020 — will ever return to their team. He is under contract for another three seasons, but a rift has formed between him and the organization that he has vaguely described as an issue of “character” and “culture.” He has also forfeited his $500,000 workout bonus by not participating in any of the Packers’ offseason program up to this point despite mandatory work not beginning until June 8.
According to Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal, one of the “core issues” behind their fractured relationship is a failure to communicate on the part of the Packers’ decision-makers. Green Bay didn’t just leave Rodgers out of the loop on their quarterback draft plans. There were also perceived slights in some of their personnel decisions, including the releases of wide receiver Jordy Nelson and Jake Kumerow.
Though some surely feel star quarterbacks are not entitled to such power and say in personnel decisions, it can’t be helping Rodgers’ frustrations with the Packers to see how above and beyond the Bucs have gone with Brady’s involvement. The question now is whether he and the Packers can still find enough common ground to stick together for the 2021 season.
Packers GM Regrets Communication of Love Pick
Regardless of how Rodgers feels about his involvement, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has said he welcomes the input of his star quarterback and insists that such a policy is “nothing new.” He has, however, admitted to having some regrets about the way the Love decision was handled since news of their current dispute went public.
“Certainly, it’s something you think about,” Gutekunst told reporters on April 29 about how Love’s selection was handled. “Some of the communications issues, we could have done better. There’s no doubt about it. The draft’s an interesting thing. It can kind of unfold differently than you think it’s going to unfold and it happens fast. Certainly, looking back on it, sitting where we’re sitting today, I think there are some communication things we could have done better.”