Good Point! Good Article. Doubt they Listen.

"The Green Bay Packers have been "fortunate" enough to have back-to-back Hall of Fame players at quarterback..."
Gil I think you made an understatement using the word "fortunate". It has been a GODSEND to have those two guys under center. I had to withstand all the ribbing at work year after year following Bart's retirement and live with guys like Scott Hunter, Jerry Tagge, David Whitehurst, and John Hadl who was a bench warmer and well past his prime when Dan Devine mortgaged our future to make one of the worst trades in NFL history. I have pictures of both Brett and Aaron prominently hanging in the den to remind me just what a blessing we have had.

The FO has been committed to Rodgers all the while, they just haven't been committed to winning the SB to the same level. The other question is whether Rodgers has been committed to the team to the level he could, would, should be. Surely he knows the money he gets hinders every year the increase in possibility to win another SB.

Please, don't retort with they got 'close' bs. Getting manhandled in one and self-imploding in another isn't close, but becomes a question as to the legitimacy of getting that far. As much as it is incumbent for the FO to get an SB team, it's also incumbent on the QB to do the same, and that includes his salary, if he wholeheartedly believes he can help make the team the winner he and the FO sell to the fans.

Then again, one must trust the FO to make the moves with any sacrifice from the QB, as to his salary donation for better. Perhaps this is a silent problem for Rodgers, and is at times missed within his backhanded passive-aggressive slaps.

If Aaron Rodgers commits to the Packers, then I think the Packers should commit to him.
It seems many fans here react in horror if I even question whether Rodgers has been as cooperative with his coaches and teammates as befits a top leader. It's as if there has never been reason to even wonder if Rodgers has been enigmatic and sly and resistant with the Packers. This misguided sensitivity boggles my mind.
I don't claim to know the answers about these inside interactions. Perhaps Rodgers has been perfect in this regard, but there have been signs that maybe he hasn't.
Rodgers has been great for the Packers and led us to many wonderful victories. I'm a big fan of his, and appreciate him greatly. I'm not going to idolize him, though; and I don't think he'd want that. It's one thing to disagree with me, another to slam me for even expressing concerns. Rodgers is big enough to handle sincere questions from caring fans who want the best for him and the team, as well as us.
The key question is where is Rodgers now. Is he all in with Coach LaFleur and his offense? Is he willing to sacrifice some of the spectacular plays downfield and the astounding statistics if it means the Packers can get a little better and go a little further in challenging for a Super Bowl?
In his greatness, Rodgers has earned the right to some say in the way the Packers do things. Ultimately, though, he has to give way to the coaches. I don't want to break Rodgers, but he needs to be able to bend, if he hasn't already. Again, I don't know.
So as a huge supporter of Rodgers I challenge him to make a commitment to his coaches and teammates that he will sacrifice for them to go all in for that Super Bowl.
If he's not happy with the Packers for any reason, perhaps a good and understandable reason, he should honestly state that he wants to go elsewhere to a place that is more conducive to him as a player and person.
If he wants to go all in for the team and the fans, though, then I'm willing to take risks with his aging and the possibility of staying with him too long.
I genuinely hope it's the latter case, and we go for it with Aaron Rodgers.

No brainer. You keep riding the horse as long as he is a stud. I shake my head when I read of people saying we should trade the MVP who has out this world stats, 13-3 seasons, and takes us deep into the playoffs. Got to appreciate this Hall of Fame QB.

Nice article. The Packers as all teams do need to develop backups at all positions. They are attempting to do this at quarterback and need to. I was around when Tobin Rote was qb and understand what lack of preparing the next man up will cost a team.

To bad mouth Love is a complete lack of understanding history. The Packers have given themselves options and Love is just one of them.

I heard all the same arguments when we had Favre.

Gil, I can argue and disagree as NFL football is and always will be a young man's game. But having AR12, Mr. MVP, for 2 or 3 more years would be nice.
Just think AR12 hamstrings the Packers due to cap concerns in 2021 and beyond 2022. Heck, making the playoffs is great, but in championship games AR12 is still 1-4 and that is a big issue with me.
Again, I'm happy to have AR but at what cost? So far history says it's all about AR's wallet and not the team's ability to keep or obtain quality players! For that I blame AR12 more than the GM or FO.

If the team really wanted to keep Rodgers long term then they sent to wrong signal when they drafted a QB in the first round. I understand why they did but I also understand why Rodgers might be a tad upset after all he did in support of Wisconsin sports etc. I agree that we should keep him as long as possible yet see that (for him) the writing may already be on the wall and he act’s accordingly and won’t extend his contract if it means that it’s just a way to cover his release.

The packers are already in deep with the cap in 2022. They’ve done pretty much everything they can to give Aaron every chance to win the Super Bowl next year. If Aaron gets injured for a few games next year they even have a back-up who can maybe win some games, let’s hope. Give Aaron a chance to come back and play in the playoffs. Go pack go!

Love has 4 years left on his contract, Rodgers has 3. That works for me.

Great article and maybe I am saying it because I have said it here before. AR is not in decline and I doubt that he will be in decline soon as long as he can be protected. And unless he starts to pull a Favre or a Deshaun Watson ( I want imput into the team selection) he should be extended. I would also like to point out what I did before. We moved on from Favre for 2 reasons - 1 he was acting up - saying that he might retire and then say no he wasnt going to. 2 AR had developed and showed it in a game against Dallas that he had the tools. Now although GB was ultimately correct in moving on from Favre - it wasnt because Favre had nothing left in the tank - he did have 2 great years left including a game against NO that was lost due to an AP fumble. Another example is probably Peyton Manning - Indie moved on because they had their franchise QB who even though he was good is now out of the league due to injury and we know what Peyton did with the Denver Broncos. And back to GB - Love had pretty well a lost season last year. He did learn something but not as much as normal with the rookie camps, OTA's and preseason camp and games. So the bottom line may be to commit to extending AR for whatever it takes 4 years if possible. And if Love looks like it after year 3 do the 5th year thing. People say we got a steal with Love - I will say this - the proof is in the pudding - and right now we have seen nothing on the field - or really even in meaningful practice.

Agreed!

I agree that they should commit to Rodgers for the foreseeable future but does that mean paying him $45 million a year for the next 3 or 4 or 5 years?

Rodgers isn't Brady, he's not gonna leave money on the table for a stronger team around him. He wants top dollar or at least that's what he's asked for in the past. If they sign him to an extention he will want to be the highest paid QB in the league and he probably deserves it but at what point is spending 25% of the cap on 1 player not a good idea.

Rodgers is under contract for the next 3 years and they could franchise tag him for another 2 years if they wanted. So how is that not committed? Yeah they have Love waiting on the bench but until he proves he's the next Patrick Mahomes or something close to it, he can just sit and wait.

I remember when they signed Rodgers to the last extention, many people criticized Gute for it. Rodgers was coming off a couple of mediocre seasons and still had 2 years left on his contract with 2 years of possible tags.

What's different now? OK yeah he just won his 3rd MVP and yeah he's got Jordan Love waiting behind him but both Gute and Lafleur have said they are committed to Rodgers as their QB. Do they need to make a financial commitment to him just to placate him and remove doubt from the situation.

I would rather they keep the contract as it is and let it play out. I wouldn't be opposed to a restructure that frees up more money for this year, that would effectively commit them to Rodgers for at least another couple years because of the cost of the cap acceleration if hes traded or released. But tearing up his current contract for 1 paying him top dollar for the next 4 to 5 years is not in the best interests of the Green Bay Packers.

Rodgers has made what like 250 million from this team over the years, I think he will be OK financially. Nobody forced him to sign the last deal so if he wanted to be able to renegotiate the deal midway through he should have requested that before he signed the last one.

I'm a Packer fan first! I love watching Aaron play but sometimes i think he has taken us as far as he can. He's 1-4 in NFC championship games and the one win came against Jay Cutler. It's time to rip off the bandaid and see what Jordan can do after this season. Not only from a financial standpoint, but it's time for a change. Fans are scared of the unknown, i get that, but the thrill of something new is fascinating too!

For those sating the jordan love pick costs them not going to the superbowl really need a big refresher .. Who would have made any difference at pick 29 or that 4th round pick would have done that come one if gute feels love is a franchise qb great. Would you rather give up 2 firsts and more to take a chance on a zack wilson or whoever. Make no mistake about this jaire had back to back int and the offense failed. Rodgers is incredible but what more is all in he takes 20 percent of the cap already. If you want to rip the front office for ignoring ilb great or defensive tackle great but the great rodgers didnot.get it done when it counted against tampa not the defense that is fact

I would like him to stay as long as he decides but I have a fee!ing this season is his last in Green Bay .

We need to stop blaming K.King for being K.King and blowing the NFCCG with his 3 plays. Arron Jones fumbled twice - 2x. DA 17, 2 drops ..one coulda, shoulda, woulda been a TD. AR12 taking to much off the clock, or holding the ball too long looking a bigger play. Taking 3 points rather than going for it. Or the not so special teams. 46 players take the field...it's a team.
Football (soccer)is truly a team sport, and AR12 apparently... is not a team player or fails to listen to his head coach. This can explain the Love pick.
IMO, 3 more years max in GB for AR12 - Mr MVP3, at a minimum two. AR will end up somewhere else in 2023 based on coin and cap. Damn. It's been a great ride for 30 years thanks to Favre and AR12. GPG

I expect Aaron Rodgers to remain with the Packers for many years to come. Gute and the rest of the front office aren't idiots. They know how rare and valuable an elite quarterback is, and Rodgers is the elite of the elite. Look at all the teams which would kill their grandmothers to get Wilson or Watson in a trade. We already have the best, and it would be insane to voluntarily move on from him.

That doesn't make the Jordan Love pick a bad decision. If they thought Love was good enough to be an NFL starter, perhaps even elite himself some day, then it made sense to grab him when they had the chance. The odds are that Aaron will be injured sometime during the next several years, and while he's out the Packers need a more-than-competent backup. Could Tim Boyle have been an adequate fill-in? Who knows? (I wish him the best in Detroit.) But now the Packers have insurance against an injury or a drastic drop-off in Aaron's play. We'll learn more about Love during the pre-season, and especially if he's thrown into some real games.

In the best case scenario, the Packers get several quality back-up years out of Love and then trade him for a high draft pick. In the worst case scenario, something happens to Aaron and Love is good enough to maintain a top level of Packers quarterback play for the next decade or so.

If they don’t trade Rodgers next year, they will have dropped the ball. Get something for him and rebuild. It’s a young man’s game. BTW where was our GOAT during the 2nd half of the championship game when they were down a score and Rodgers kept going three and out? But it was all OK, he won the MVP and that was his goal all season.

Rodgers is a fixture in GB and will be until he decides he is done! Love will be I bet a bust from what you read of his talents and instincts! Wouldn't be a surprise to me at all to see Love gone before Rodgers!

For those who haven't, I suggest reading TGR outstanding series on Packer signings this off season. And for those who wish to keep Rodgers beyond 2023, the Cap makes that very difficult even the best case. What Gute has done is brought back this core group (minus Lindsay) for this season, and with a possible return in 2022. After that, it over. Is it possible, only if Rodgers agrees to a massive restructuring of his contract. And even if he does agree, the Packers will be facing HUGE Cap hits in 2023 and beyond. As it is, the Packers are facing either a reload or soft rebuild in 2023, and only if the front office hits on this upcoming draft. Keeping Rodgers means either a hard rebuild, or a complete teardown depending on the Cap hits the team takes. Ball and Gute have been running the numbers for years now, they know what's coming. Better for us to face it now. But it still sucks.

Keep him as long as possible, anything else is nuts

The Packers should not only keep Rodgers for as long as possible, they should come out and state it publicly. That would eliminate much of the speculation for the next few seasons at least.

Now some will claim that the Packers have done that with the last contract they gave him but we all know that he could be traded and/or the Packers could choose to take dead money hits.

Stating that Rodgers is their guy for as long as he chooses sends a positive message to the team and the fans. It could also help in negotiating a contract extension for Rodgers and/or getting him to agree to a salary cut to open up cap space. In any case it doesn't cost the Packers anything to state their position on Rodgers unless of course it is to move on from him after 2021. Even if they do give Rodgers a "vote of confidence" they could still trade him or release him if he fails to perform or is injured. They would not be the first team to change their previously stated position on about a player.

In the end the Packers hold the cards. Rodgers is just another player (granted a highly paid player)unless and until the Packers say otherwise.

A final point on this issue; IMO the worst case scenario for the Packers in 2021 would be to lose Rodgers to a season ending injury early in the season, similar 2017, which would force them to play Love and then Love flops completely. What do the Packers do for 2022?
Do they bring Rodgers back off a serious injury? Or do move on from Rodgers and give Love another season. Or do they draft another QB with likely a high draft choice because if Love flops replacing Rodgers the Packers probably go something like 4-12 maybe 5-11 and start all over. As KI've posted before, good planning requires planning for the worst case scenario. Hopefully we never see that scenario.
Thanks, Since '61

It will be interesting to see if Mac Jones (or other fairly highly rated QB) slides to the pick 26-30 range.

Okay, If they make such a statement or commitment to Rodgers they then really have to flip a pick for Love at that point. They did draft a QB in the first round. I don't think they ever intended to do anything with Rodgers contract at all. In addition, no team has given a QB at his age the type of guarantees you are talking about. Not Brady, or anyone.

I think Packers fans have more denial than any other fan base I have ever seen. Love is going to be QB 1. Not this year (pending injury) and maybe not next year but at some point he will be. How do I know? Because that decision has BEEN MADE people, last April. Name a QB drafted in the first round whom never starts for that team.........there are none. The Packers never intended on restructuring Rodgers. It is almost as if they had a plan all along.......Extending Rodgers now would be an admission of organizational malfeasance and Gutekunst should fired on the spot if that were the case.

Yes.....Keep Rodgers!!

Change your plans.

Lets ask the NFL if we could redo those drafts (as if) we were keeping Rodgers and start drafting for the here and now...Yea...that's the ticket.

Ok....lets pretend the damage hasn't been done,

Lets get that toothpaste back in the tube and win a Super Bowl!

I love you guys :)

"Jordan Love could be the next Aaron Rodgers,"
.
And i could be Santa Claus!!
.
Don't lose that sense of humor, always keep em laughing :)

Ugh! They are committed! All the speculation of the Packers intentions is exhausting! It’s ok that the Packers remain flexible in their approach. They kept 3 ProBowlers and paid top $$$ for each of them. Remember they win if Bak doesn’t get hurt! They win if Greene doesn’t drop an easy INT, and they win if they’re not in man coverage at the end of the 1st half. Let’s not forget the abundance of missed defensive holding calls Tampa got away with. This team is built to win and I have no problem with their approach! Go Pack Go!

Rodgers is under contract for 3 more years as one of the highest paid players in the league. I wish I had that kind of commitment from my employer.

Give him a one year contract. Tell him no super bowl your outta here we got Love now and he is our guy. We'll trade you for a couple of ones and a two and rebuild with love while you, Mr Rodgers get old and tired. HA

I don't know why Gutekunst is so hell-bent on getting rid of Rodgers!
If Love is a bust get rid of Gutekunst, & bring back Elliot Wolf. I haven't
liked him since he was named GM. He always thinks he's right. ( BIG EGO ) !!

We all enjoy watching Rodgers play - its his contract that is the problem. Any team that is paying one player 30/40 mil is going to struggle to have money for other critical positions. For the last decade + no team has won with a 30/40 mil QB. And he has not taken any discounts to help with the cap or other signings.

I hope the team keeps its options open. If someone comes calling with a huge haul of picks/players... I would like us to have the option to consider what is best going forward.

To put it simply, the Packers are keeping their options open. Neither committing to Jordan Love or Rodgers. IMO, they'll continue to do that as long as possible. Obviously too early to commit to Love. He needed a good 2 or 3 yrs when drafted. Rodgers has 3 yrs left on his contract. They aren't likely to commit or extend a player approaching 40 yrs old either. Personally I think Rodgers has 3 quality yrs remaining, but its not my decision and I support the Packers and back the approach they are taking in this situation.

If Rodgers would play for less, as Brady has gor a long time and even Manning did in Denver, that might be what help the Packers commit to him another 3 or more years.

Has anyone noticed the dramatic two year turnaround in play from Rodgers? This coincides with MLF and a new way of coaching that, while maybe not perfect, is noticeably different than the unimaginative and predictable play calling and schemes under Mike McCarthy. Imagine the level of success that might have been possible if the FO had gotten rid of MM much sooner. Half of Rodger’s career was wasted by a terrible coach and coaching staff. If anything, he deserves the job security and money to finish out his career as a Packer on his own terms. He has earned it and deserves it.

AROD had to warm the bench while Favre still was at the helm. And what was the result? Another Hall of Fame QB in AROD. The same should happen with Jordan Love. To create this indecision over not committing to a 3 time MVP who just repeated this last season, is frankly puzzling on the part of GB senior leadership! As this article suggests, Hall of Fame QBs come around rarely. I hope something logical is happening in the background because, right now, GBs leadership team looks incredibly indecisive and downright silly! To not sign AROD to a longer contract and freeing up cap space to "win now", they are sending a signal to all fans that the Super Bowl is not important just as long as they fill the stands! Wake up guys!

How will they know Jordan Love will be any good if they keep him on the bench for 4 years? How angry will he be if they do that? Green bay drafted him in the first round they should play him or trade him.