GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers actually trust Aaron Rodgers will play for them in 2021, and maybe past. They have no designs to exchange him.
That was senior supervisor Brian Gutekunst’s message late Thursday late evening following the first round of the NFL draft, which came after sources revealed to ESPN’s Adam Schefter prior in the day that Rodgers has gotten so disappointed with the group that he has disclosed to certain individuals from the association he would not like to get back to the Packers.
“We’ve been working through this for a little while now, and I just think it may take some time,” Gutekunst said. “But he’s a guy that kind of makes this thing go. He give us the best chance to win, and we’re going to work towards that end.”
Rodgers, 37, is under agreement through the 2023 season yet has not any more ensured cash left on his arrangement. Gutekunst said the lines of correspondence with Rodgers and his delegates have been open all through the offseason, and the different sides talked again Thursday.
Gutekunst, a fourth-year senior supervisor, rejected that the Packers at any point revealed to Rodgers they would exchange him and repeated that they have no designs to do that.
“We’re not going to exchange Aaron Rodgers,” he said.
Gutekunst said he didn’t talk with San Francisco 49ers head supervisor John Lynch on Thursday about an arrangement for Rodgers. Lynch told columnists Thursday that the 49ers “asked” about Rodgers, however he didn’t say when that occurred and added, “It was a quick end to the conversation; it wasn’t happening.”
Gutekunst said it wasn’t care for the telephones were ringing free at Lambeau Field after the information on Rodgers’ misery penniless.
“Sometime after 5 o’clock, after a lot of the stuff had kind of hit the airwaves, I got I think one call,” Gutekunst said. “It was brief, and that was it.”
Prior this offseason, the Los Angeles Rams supposedly called to ask about Rodgers’ accessibility through exchange before they managed for Matthew Stafford.
“I’m not gonna confirm that,” Rams GM Les Snead said Thursday. “But I don’t think he was ever available.”
Part of Rodgers’ misery comes from a year ago’s draft, when the Packers didn’t educate him regarding their choice to exchange up and draft his possible substitution, Jordan Love, at No. 26 in general, sources told Schefter.
“I certainly look back to last year’s draft and just kind of maybe some of the communication issues we could have done better,” Gutekunst said. “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 pretty fast. But certainly, I think, looking back on it sitting where we sit today there could have been some communication things we did better.”
In spite of being repelled by Rodgers in their endeavors to broaden his agreement, the Packers actually accept they can persuade him to come around. They brought back everything except two starters from their 13-3 group that arrived at the NFC Championship Game for the subsequent straight season.
“I’m not going to speak for Aaron, but I think obviously we have a really good team and I do think he’ll play for us again,” Gutekunst said. “And like I said, we’re going to work towards that and we’ve been working towards that on a number of different fronts. The value that he adds to our football is really immeasurable, you know what I mean? He brings so much to the table not only as a player but as a leader. He’s so important to his teammates, to his coaches, so yeah, that’s the goal.
“I think we obviously have a very good football team here, we have a great organization, we’re very committed to him and I think as the lines of communication have been open, I’m just optimistic that that’s what’s best for the Green Bay Packers and I truly believe that’s what’s best for Aaron Rodgers, as well.”
Gutekunst was the lone individual from the Packers’ association to address correspondents on Thursday after they drafted Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes at No. 29 generally. Mentor Matt LaFleur is planned to take addresses following the draft on Saturday.
“I think it’s like everything in this business, look, I don’t think anything ever surprises you,” former Packers coach and current Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday. “And things like that go on, conversations I think are always going on when it comes to player acquisition. Obviously no one knows the impact that Aaron Rodgers has made on the Green Bay Packers (more than McCarthy) but, yeah, I haven’t given it much thought. Obviously I didn’t see anything happen today, so … good news story.”
Gutekunst wouldn’t put a cutoff time on when the Rodgers’ circumstance should be settled for it not to affect the 2021 season.
“It’s kind of a hypothetical and it’s kind of, like I said, our desire is to have Aaron as our quarterback leading this team and competing for championships,” he said. “So, it’s a little bit hypothetical, so we’ll get to that. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
