Aaron Rodgers holds nothing back in first press conference back with the Packers
Yesterday afternoon, the internet exploded because Aaron Rodgers was made available to talk to the media for the first time since last season.
Since then, there’s been nothing but drama between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. All while Aaron Rodgers staying completely silent.
The gist of it is that Aaron Rodgers was unhappy with the front office in Green Bay and supposedly wanted a trade and was even going to retire before coming back to the Packers.
Now, the two sides have come to an agreement and have restructured his contract and also brought back Randall Cobb, a player Rodgers felt never should have been let go. But that didn’t stop Aaron Rodgers from ripping apart the Packers organization.
I admit that I thought Aaron Rodgers would come into training camp and play it off and act like everything’s perfect. I figured he’d just laugh it off and say the media likes to create storylines when they have nothing better to write and talk about. He did say that about the media, but it wasn’t before he hung the whole Packers front office out to dry.
Rodgers’ first point was very clear: he hated the moves the Packers have or haven’t done over the years. He named every single player during his tenure there that he felt the Packers did wrong. Some of those players are Charles Woodson, TJ Lang, Jordy Nelson, and Julius Peppers just to name a few.
Aaron reiterated the point and said he knows it’s a business, but he felt certain players were willing to take huge discounts to stay with the Packers organization. Certain players never even had the talks with the front office about an extension, players who Rodgers felt were critical to the team.
The next point that Aaron Rodgers brought up was that he felt he has earned the respect to be involved in discussions with the front office on moves they were planning on making. Rodgers said that Green Bay isn’t exactly a destination city for free agents and he wanted to be a recruiter since he knows that players would want to come play with him.
I can’t help but believe so much of Aaron’s dismay is how he’s seeing Tom Brady have the freedom to do what he wants in Tampa Bay. He’s being used as a recruiter and he is involved in nearly every move the Buccaneers do. Aaron feels he’s at that same level where he should be recruiting and helping make decisions. Whether he’s right, wrong, or otherwise, that is how he feels.
Whether Rodgers admits it or not, this whole thing started when the Packers took quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was blindsided by that draft pick and felt that he had far more years left in him and that drafting his replacement was pointless unless he went elsewhere.
Where does it go from here? Rodgers didn’t know, either. It still feels tense and it just feels like they’re all going to go for it one more year and part ways after this season. You never know what can happen throughout the season so never say never, but it just feels like this is the end.
No player ever lets it all out there in a press conference. Most press conferences are filled with cliches. This was the complete opposite of that. This is someone who wants to hold his team accountable and let it be known that he feels that they haven’t treated some of the past greats with much respect.
Rodgers even took time during the offseason to reach out to these former Packer players to get their perspective on what happened when they parted with the team. He formed his conclusions from there.
Aaron Rodgers made sure to point out numerous times that it isn’t about money and that he’s not a victim in this situation. He also pointed out that he loves the city of Green Bay, the fans, his teammates, and his coaches. His issues are only with those in the front office.
It’s going to make for an interesting season, nonetheless. It’s The Last Dance: Green Bay Packers edition.
