Rodgers: Packers situation about ‘a philosophy,’ not Jordan Love originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Aaron Rodgers made an appearance Monday, but it wasn’t at Packers OTAs.
After being a no-show for the start of Green Bay’s voluntary offseason workouts earlier in the day, Rodgers was a guest on “SportsCenter” for ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne’s final show.
Rodgers initially shied away from questions about his situation with the Packers, but he did open up when Mayne asked him whether he’s demanding a trade.
“With my situation, look, it’s never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan (Love),” Rodgers said. “I love Jordan, he’s a great kid. (It’s) a lot of fun to work together. I love the coaching staff, I love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. An incredible, incredible 16 years.
“It’s just kind of about a philosophy and, you know, 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. 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. This is just kind of, I think, the spill-out of all that. But it is about the people and that’s the most important thing.”
These were Rodgers’ first public comments since several reports surfaced in late April detailing the 2020 MVP’s unhappiness with the Packers organization and desire to move on.
Some of Rodgers’ frustration was reported to have stemmed from Green Bay selecting quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 draft. Rodgers denied that Monday while saying that he loved the young signal caller, in addition to the rest of his Packers teammates and the coaching staff.
Rodgers didn’t offer any praise for Green Bay’s front office, who he may have been referring to with his “philosophy” comments. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported that Rodgers “doesn’t like anyone” in the Packers’ front office “for a variety of reasons,” while Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported that Rodgers wants the organization to fire general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Gutekunst and the Packers have said they won’t trade Rodgers, but that apparently hasn’t been enough to resolve the situation. And until the Rodgers-Packers situation is resolved, it will remain a huge storyline.