Gutekunst: Packers Made ‘Big Commitment’ to Rodgers

“We made a really big commitment to him last offseason, so I think as we did that, it wasn’t certainly for just this year,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Friday

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Will Aaron Rodgers be back as the Green Bay Packers’ quarterback next year? The answer to that might be rooted in what happened at the end of last year.

“We made a really big commitment to him last offseason, so I think as we did that, it wasn’t certainly for just this year,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Friday in reference to a three-year, $150 million contract extension that was signed on March 15.

After Sunday night’s season-ending loss to the Detroit Lions, Rodgers walked off Lambeau Field pondering his future. The 39-year-old is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career. As Rodgers regressed following back-to-back MVP seasons, the team regressed, too, falling short of the playoffs. He battled several injuries, notably a broken thumb. One of those legendary hot streaks never came.

If ever there were a time for the Packers to move on from the iconic quarterback, it would be this offseason. Former first-round pick Jordan Love will be entering his fourth season in the NFL. Time and again, whether it’s Gutekunst or coach Matt LaFleur, the team has said Love is ready.

But there were no inklings from Gutekunst on Friday that the Packers are ready to make the historic transition. If Rodgers chooses to retire, the Packers will be ready to wish him well. If Rodgers wants to return, the Packers appear set to welcome him back.

“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 (Favre) to Aaron. 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.”

It's clear the Packers believe Rodgers gives them the best chance to win. Otherwise, they would have gone to Love when Rodgers was struggling with the broken thumb. They would have gone to Love when Rodgers suffered injured ribs during the loss at Philadelphia that sent their record to 4-8.

The Packers didn’t make the change then. They aren’t ready to make the change now. So, like the last couple offseasons, the Packers will wait for Rodgers to decide his future.

Does Rodgers, in that never-ending quest for a second Super Bowl championship, want to return to a team that lost almost as many games this season as the past three seasons combined? Does Rodgers want to return to a team in which some of his closest friends – age-contemporaries such as Randall Cobb, Marcedes Lewis and Mason Crosby – might not be back?

Or, does that competitive fire start burning next month and Rodgers decides he wants to play? And does he only want to play for the Packers because of his commitment and loyalty to the franchise?

“We’ve had conversations like we always do. Talked this week; it was really good conversations,” Gutekunst said. “I really respect the process that he goes through after the season. He’s done this for a long time. What he goes through during the offseason to be prepared for a season is significant, and I understand the decision he has to make and whether he wants to go through that. So, I’ve always tried to give him that time. We talked about the season, what went right, what went wrong, what he liked, what he didn’t.”

A lot of things went wrong this year. The Packers finished 8-9 after going 39-10 the last three seasons. Whether it was Gutekunst’s fault for not adequately replacing Davante Adams, the coaches’ fault for not adequately adapting to life without Adams, Rodgers’ own failings or his injuries, the offense never looked like it did the previous two seasons.

With the season on the line, the Packers scored 16 points in a home game against a dome team with one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Rodgers didn’t have a single 300-yard game. Even when the team got hot, Rodgers did not, with five touchdowns vs. three interceptions in the final five games.

Still, if Rodgers wants to return to the team he’s led since 2008, the team will give him another shot with the belief that he can regain his elite form and the Packers can quickly regain contender status.

“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 you guys saw, as well, he still can play at a very high level. I really like the way he led us. So, again, I think as we move forward over the next month or so, we’ll start putting these things together and see how that transpires.”

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