If the writing is on the wall, the Packers do not want to read it.
It certainly feels like a divorce with Aaron Rodgers may be coming, but not without a strong effort to keep the quarterback in Green Bay.
There surely will be recruiting done privately by coach Matt LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst, but the Packers are not above publicly lobbying. In the latest entry of a monthly column written by the team’s president and CEO, the full-court press has begun.
“A key factor will be whether Aaron Rodgers comes back for the 2022 season,” Mark Murphy wrote. “Matt, Brian, executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball and I are all in agreement that we want Aaron to come back. He is likely to win his fourth league MVP, is the unquestioned leader of our team and is still playing at a high level at 38.
Although we will face many challenges this offseason, I have tremendous confidence in Matt, Brian and Russ. I don’t think anyone in the league knows the rules regarding the salary cap better than Russ. He will be our most valuable employee this offseason.”
Aaron Rodgers Getty Images
The relationship between Rodgers and the Packers has been shaky since they drafted Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 draft. Rodgers reportedly requested a trade last offseason and held out of minicamp before returning to the team. Upon his return, he posted “Last Dance” pictures on Instagram, intimating this year would be his final one in Green Bay.
After the Packers lost in the divisional round to the 49ers, Rodgers pointed at their salary-cap situation — ESPN projects them to be $44.8 million over the cap entering next season — and said he does not want to be around a team that has to tear down. He wanted to keep most options open — including a surprise retirement — but eliminated one.
“I don’t want to be a part of a rebuild if I’m going to keep playing,” Rodgers told reporters.
The Packers know the reality, but also know they would be in huge trouble if Rodgers forces his way out.
[W]e are significantly over the salary cap for next year, and will have to make many difficult decisions in order to get under the cap,” Murphy wrote on the team’s site. “…Although we will face many challenges this offseason, I have tremendous confidence in Matt, Brian and Russ. I don’t think anyone in the league knows the rules regarding the salary cap better than Russ. He will be our most valuable employee this offseason.”
