Aaron Rodgers Says MVP Season Ruined Packers' Plan to Move On From Him
Former Cal star and current Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he suspected the Packers planned to move on from him after the 2020 season, but his MVP performance ruined their plan.
Rodgers has made it known he doesn’t want to play for the Packers anymore, and he made his first public comments about his situation with the team Monday night in an appearance on SportsCenter to commemorate Kenny Mayne's final show on ESPN.
Rodgers was good but not great in 2018 and 2019, but he rebounded in a big way in 2020, when he won his third MVP and led the Packers to a 13-3 record and berth in the NFC championship game.
You need to go about six minutes into the interview below to get past the Kenny Mayne tribute and get to what Rodgers says about his situation.
"A lot of this was put in motion last year, and the wrench was just kind of thrown into it when I won MVP and played the way I played last year," Rodgers said in the interview. "This is just kind of, I think, a spill-out of all that. But it is about the people, and that's the most important thing. Green Bay has always been about the people -- from Curly Lambeau being owner and founder to the '60s with [Vince] Lombardi and Bart Starr and all those incredible names to the '90s teams with coach [Mike] Holmgren and Favrey [Brett Favre] and the Minister of Defense [Reggie White] to the run that we've been on. It's about the people.
"I think sometimes people forget what really makes an organization. History is important, legacy of so many people who've come before you. But the people, that's the most important thing. People make an organization, people make a business and sometimes that gets forgotten. Culture is built brick by brick, the foundation of it by the people, not by the organization, not by the building, not by the corporation. It's built by the people.
"I've been fortunate enough to play with a number of amazing, amazing people and got to work for some amazing people as well. It's those people that build the foundation of those entities. I think sometimes we forget that."
Rodgers seemed to suggest that his issue is with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, although he never specifically said he wanted Gutekunst removed, which isn’t likely to happen anyway.
Rodgers said the problems began with the 2020 draft, but it was not about drafting a quarterback (Jordan Love) in the first round; it was about how the team and general manager Brian Gutekunst handled it. He just does not like the turn the team's philosophy has taken.
"With my situation, look it's never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan," Rodgers said. "I love Jordan; he's a great kid. [We've had] a lot of fun to work together. Love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. An incredible 16 years. It's just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It's about character, it's about culture, it's about doing things the right way."
Rodgers confirmed that he skipped the team's first Organized Training Activities (OTA) session on Monday, but he never specified what he expected the solution to his situation should be.
Rodgers will not receive a $500,000 workout bonus for taking part in OTAs, and if he does not participate in next month's minicamp, he could be fined up to $93,085. He would be fined $50,000 for each day he missed of the mandatory training camp if he continues to avoid Packers preseason sessions.
Gutekunst admitted he did not communicate well with Rodgers during last year’s draft when the Packers took Love, but the GM has consistently said the Packers will not trade Rodgers, who has three years left on his contract.
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