Packers GM Implies Aaron Rodgers Would Be Green Bay's QB in 2023

Former Cal star still has not decided whether he will retire, but his starting job appears to be safe

The decision on whether former Cal star Aaron Rodgers will be the Packers’ starting quarterback next year is entirely in Rodgers’ hands. At least that is the impression Packers general Brian Gutekunst left when talking to the media on Friday.

Gutekunst said the Packers are “not at that point” of replacing Rodgers. That Gutekunst declaration combined with the structure of Rodgers’ contract and the implication by Gutekunst that Jordan Love is not ready to take over as Green Bay’s No. 1 quarterback all suggest that the decision is solely up to Rodgers.

Rodgers will be 40 by the time the 2023 season is completed, and he was not nearly as proficient in 2022 as he was in 2021 and 2020 when he won his third and fourth MVP awards. And the Packers were not as successful, finishing with an 8-9 record after winning 13 games each of the two previous seasons.

Rodgers threw 12 interceptions in 2022, and he had not thrown more than five picks in any of the previous four seasons. Rodgers' 2022 passer rating of 91.1 was his lowest in his 15 seasons as an NFL starter.

But Rodgers played much of the season with a broken right thumb sustained in the fifth game of the season, and he had assorted other physical ailments. Plus he was working with several new receivers.

“Well, certainly this year, I think he was dealing with some moving pieces, some injuries and things like that,” Gutekunst said. “It wasn’t a great year offensively for us as a whole. But I mean, you guys saw, he can still play at a very high level. Really liked the way he led us. So I think as we move forward over the next month or so, we’ll start putting these things together and see how that transpires.”

The 39-year-old Rodgers has said each of the past two seasons that he contemplated retiring and will do so again this offseason. He said immediately after Sunday’s loss to the Lions, which eliminated Green Bay from playoff contention, that he needed some time to consider his future.

Last year, he announced his decision to return for the 2022 season on March 8, but Rodgers’ contract was an added issue last year. That’s not the case this time.

The 2022 season represented the first year of a three-year, $150 million contract extension he signed last March. Rodgers would make a $59 million if he played in 2023, according to an ESPN.com report.

Gutekunst noted that the three years on the contract extension meant the Packers were counting on Rodgers beyond the 2022 season.

“He’s certainly going to take some time,” Gutekunst said. “I think that’s fair. And as we work through this, I think as he takes his time, makes his decision just on his playing career in general, then we’ll get together and move forward that way. We made a really big commitment to him last offseason. So I think as we did that, it wasn’t certainly just for this year. So we’ll, like I said, he’s going to take his time and the communication will be pretty consistent as we move forward.”

Gutekunst was asked whether Rodgers or Love would give the Packers a better chance to win in 2023, and he implied that Love was not ready.

“Well, I mean, you’re talking about a four-time MVP, right?” Gutekunst said. “We are very excited about Jordan and where he's at, there's no doubt about that. But Jordan's never played a 16-, 17-game season and gone through all that stuff. So, it's no different than when we moved from Brett to Aaron, right? That's a hard thing to say, but at the same time, where Aaron's at, the level he's at, there's not many teams he wouldn't give the best chance to win."

Gutekunst told reporters that he would be able to tell Rodgers if he was not in Green Bay’s plans for the 2023.

"If we were? Sure, absolutely," Gutekunst said. "You've got to be honest with him, you know what I mean? I think he deserves that if we get to that point. We're not at that point."

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Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Jeff Hanisch, USA TODAY Sports

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