After months of silence, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers finally gave us the answers we’ve all been waiting for.
It’s been a tumultuous few months for the three-time MVP and the Packers organization. Shortly after the Packers lost in the NFC Championship Game, the rumors regarding Rodgers’ future in Green Bay began to swirl. What followed was months of silence from Rodgers and his camp, a few cryptic messages, and trade rumors.
And while Rodgers still isn’t sure if anything will in fact change, all the rumors can now be put to rest as Rodgers reported to Packers training camp and will be under center for Green Bay on September 12.
In his first media appearance at training camp on Wednesday, Rodgers held court for nearly 33-minutes in a press conference that was wide-ranging and blunt. Rodgers said that his frustrations with the organization stemmed from his lack of involvement in the decision making, among other things.
“This wasn’t a draft day thing,” Rodgers said. “Started with a conversation in February after the season ended and I just expressed my desire to be more involved in conversations directly affecting my job.”
Rodgers went on to explain his frustration with some of the past personnel decisions — especially when it came to veterans of the organization — as well as his contract.
“High character guys, I’m talking about Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb, James Jones, John Kuhn, Brett Goode, TJ Lang, Bryan Bulaga, Casey Hayward, Micah Hyde … many of them who weren’t offered a contract at all or were extremely low-balled or were maybe, in my opinion, not given the respect on the way out that guys of their status and stature and high character deserved.”
“It kind of progressed from there to a commitment for the 2021 season and beyond,” Rodgers continued. “That really wasn’t given at any time. So, for me, I had to assess the situation, not necessarily wanting to be a lame-duck quarterback especially after an MVP season. Which I think you can understand.”
Rodgers told reporters that he wanted to be more involved in future personnel decisions, using his years in the league to get players to Green Bay.
“And then, the other part, in February was wanting to be a part of conversations involving free agents, which has never happened in my career. … I’ve tried to pass along information, hasn’t really been used, shall we say? So, I wanted to offer my services as a recruiter.”
“I think we can all understand Green Bay isn’t a huge vacation destination,” Rodgers said. “People are coming here to play with me, to play with our team and knowing that they can win a championship here, and the fact that I haven’t been used in those discussions is what I wanted to change moving forward. And I felt like based on my years, the way I can still play, that that should be a natural part of the conversation.”
Rodgers continued to discuss his involvement in future decisions, saying he just wants the “opportunity to be in conversation.”
“The organization looks at me and my job as just to play. In my opinion — based on what I’ve accomplished in this league — the way I care about my teammates, the way I show up in the locker room, the way I lead, the way I conduct myself in the community … it should tie myself to a little bit more input,” Rodgers said. “The rules are the same for most people, but every now and then there’s some outliers. Guys who have been in organizations for 17 years, and won a few MVP’s. Where they can be in conversations at a different, higher level. I’m not asking for anything that other great quarterbacks across the last few decades have not gotten. The opportunity to be in conversation.”
Rodgers admitted that retirement did cross his mind, but ultimately he had the need to play.
“Yeah, it was definitely something I thought about,” Rodgers said. “I talked about how important being a full-timer was for a long time. This is a first time to spend the offseason away without a COVID year or a lockout year, and I enjoyed it. I really did. I took time working on myself and trying to better myself in a number of areas where I feel like I can improve based on my own patterns and conditioning and it was a lot of growth. In that process, I continued to find joy and happiness in things off the field.”
“However, there is still a big, competitive hole in my body that I need to fill. As I got back into my workouts, I just realized that I know I can still play and I want to still play and as long as I feel I can give 100 percent to the team, then I should still play.”
The future for Rodgers after this season is unclear, especially with a first-round draft pick waiting in the wing.
“Based on them drafting my replacement — J Lo [Jordan Love] — last year, I think that kind of put things in motion,” Rodgers said when asked about his future after this year. “Based on the way the season went last year, there was nothing in last season that made me confident that I’d be back after 21, and maybe even not after 2020 … I’m not a victim here at all. I just want to reiterate that. I’ve been paid a ton of money by this organization. I’m so thankful to be a starter here for my 14th season. Not many guys have an opportunity to do that … It’s a business. It’s an incredible opportunity to play this game, it’s a tough business too though … That’s why I’m just going to enjoy this season — like I did last year — have the right perspective, and make decisions at the end of the season.”
In was a shockingly honest press conference from Rodgers, but Packers fans have their star quarterback again, and he even showed them a little love.
“I love this team. I love the fans and the opportunity to play at Lambeau Field has been a dream come true. To be in my 17th season has been really special.”
“I love this team, I love the or—you know, the fans.”
Perhaps it was just a slip, but this felt like one of the more telling moments during Aaron Rodgers’ press conference. pic.twitter.com/MSHH6qRQYI
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 28, 2021
The entirety of Rodgers’ interview can be seen below.
LIVE: @AaronRodgers12 speaks with the media at #PackersCamp
📺: More coverage on @NFLNetwork https://t.co/m8FDAaMjSB
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) July 28, 2021
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].