GREEN BAY, Wis. — Now what do the Green Bay Packers do?
They drafted Jordan Love in 2020, however to not be their quarterback in 2021 and perhaps not even in 2022.
Thursday’s information that Aaron Rodgers has advised some within the Packers group that he does not want to — or plan to — return to Green Bay, in keeping with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, modifications all the pieces.
What if Rodgers follows by and doesn’t present up for the obligatory minicamp in June or when coaching camp begins in late July or in time for the season opener?
What started final yr as Rodgers, 37, reiterating that he not solely wished to play into his 40s however wished to do it in Green Bay has achieved a 180.
When he mentioned final Might that “my honest want to start out and end with the identical group, simply because it has with many different gamers over time, will not be a actuality at this level,” it appeared he was placing the onus on the Packers to recommit to him.
A yr later, apparently he doesn’t even need that anymore. He has even turned down contract extensions or renegotiations, in keeping with Schefter.
If that’s the case, then all of the Packers’ efforts to maintain their group from final yr largely intact — they returned 20 of 22 starters on offense and protection — and make one more run at a Super Bowl with the group that reached the NFC Championship Sport two years in a row may find yourself for naught.
If Inexperienced Bay traded or launched Rodgers as we speak, it could save $5,646,000 in salary-cap house. If it did so after June 1, it could save $22,850,000 in cap house. Rodgers is beneath contract by 2023 — similar as Love — however has no extra assured cash left on his deal.
Love didn’t get an opportunity to point out a lot final offseason as a rookie. There have been no in-person offseason exercises, and coaching camp was a truncated model of the true factor (and included no preseason video games). He didn’t even get QB2 reps; these went to Tim Boyle, who spent final season as Rodgers’ backup.
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Dan Orlovsky says groups in draft’s high 10 searching for a quarterback have to inquire about probably buying and selling for a disgruntled Aaron Rodgers.
What Love confirmed, with restricted reps because the No. three quarterback, wasn’t all that nice. It’s no surprise normal supervisor Brian Gutekunst expressed how important this offseason was for Love. However necessary in order that he could possibly be the backup, not the starter.
Inexperienced Bay invested three seasons in Boyle however then didn’t tender him as a restricted free agent this season. Boyle then signed a one-year take care of the Detroit Lions in free company.
Gutekunst and the Packers have refused all commerce affords for Rodgers. Gutekunst denied shortly after the season that the Los Angeles Rams had made a run at Rodgers, because the Los Angeles Instances reported on the time. Gutekunst mentioned there was “no fact” to that. A supply advised ESPN on Thursday that reviews of the San Francisco 49ers providing the No. three decide plus quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and different draft picks for Rodgers additionally was not true. Nonetheless, Schefter reported that the 49ers did inquire with out making a particular commerce supply.
Both method, it appears as if the Packers could have one other uncomfortable quarterback transition on their fingers — and maybe prior to they thought. 13 years in the past, the Packers moved on from Brett Favre to Rodgers. In that case, Favre unexpectedly retired after which modified his thoughts, forcing the Packers to commerce him to the Jets in August 2008 as a result of they’d already dedicated to Rodgers.
After a 6-10 first season with Rodgers because the starter, the Packers returned to Tremendous Bowl rivalry and gained one quickly after. However that was with Rodgers having been the backup for 3 years. What the Packers would seem like with out Rodgers in 2021 won’t even be that good.