Packers Waiting on Aaron Rodgers Decision, Not Looking for Move Now
INDIANAPOLIS —- Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst knew the question was coming, and as expected, he didn’t have much to say on the subject. Two things are clear, though: the Packers have prepared for the possibility of life after Aaron Rodgers — and it’s definitely not their preferred option.
“There have been no new updates,” Gutekunst said. “I think with Aaron, he’s got a very tough process that he goes through to get himself ready to play every season. It’s a big commitment, and he’s done that for a long time.
“I think he feels he needs to do that to play at the level he plays at, and I think that weighs on him, but I think he’s going through that now. (The financials) are part of the process, and I think (director of football operations) Russ (Ball) does a good job and has us prepared for which way we might go.”
Should Rodgers want to continue with the only franchise he’s ever played for, the Packers would be glad to welcome him back. Green Bay would only enter the market of trading its quarterback reluctantly, as giving Rodgers an extension would both keep their window to pursue a championship open and save salary space.
Trading Rodgers would provide relief on the cap in a year’s time, but it wouldn’t help Green Bay do anything toward chasing a championship or getting under the cap in the short-term, meaning the Packers would essentially be pushing themselves headfirst into the Jordan Love era. While that’s something Gutekunst suggested the Packers are prepared for, Rodgers’ status clearly dictates what their next move will be. In short, that means the Steelers or another quarterback-hungry team would only be able to pry him loose if Rodgers requests to be traded.
“Obviously, we’d like to know as soon as we can so that we can start planning and moving forward,” Gutekunst said. “You’re always going to be mindful of what we’re doing in the future. Sometimes it feels like right now is all that matters, but you always have to keep that in mind.”
While the Packers’ lack of desire to move on from Rodgers is clear, the quarterback hasn’t made things easy on his team after a cryptic Instagram post in which Rodgers thanked his “past and current” teammates and said he would “cherish the memories we’ve made”.
Gutekunst said that he hadn’t spoken to Rodgers about the post and added that he had no plans to do so unless it affected the Packers directly. Less believable was his claim that none of the other general managers in Indianapolis had asked him about his asking price if the Packers can’t work out a deal to bring Rodgers back.
“Obviously, we’re planning for a lot of different scenarios,” Gutekunst said. “Once we get the situation with Aaron figured out, everything will follow, so that’s kind of where we’re at.
“As you get into this time, there’s just a lot of unknowns. You always have free agents that you’re trying to bring back and you don’t know how that’s going to go, so you’ve got to have Plan B, Plan C and those things. It garners a lot of attention because of the player and his status, but it’s really no different.”
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