Green Bay QB Rodgers doesn't attend Packers' 1st day of OTAs

Updated May. 25, 2021 12:24 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn’t present for the first day of organized team activities Monday, and his future with the team remains uncertain.

Rodgers confirmed in an ESPN interview that he wasn't at Monday's session. Although these OTAs are voluntary, Rodgers generally has participated in them in the past.

Rodgers’ decision to stay away comes amid reports that the reigning MVP wants out of Green Bay, where he has spent his entire NFL career. Rodgers was noncommittal about his future during his ESPN interview, but did detail some of his frustrations.

“I think sometimes people forget what really makes an organization," Rodgers said. "History is important, the 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.”

in the hours before the draft that the three-time MVP doesn’t want to return to the Packers. Later that week,

in his column that he, general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur all had visited Rodgers on a number of occasions during this offseason.

who has three years remaining on his contract. Packers officials have said they want to keep Rodgers in Green Bay in 2021 and beyond.

“We want him back in the worst way,”

Rodgers’ long-term future has been a subject of major speculation across the NFL ever since the

The Packers didn’t notify Rodgers beforehand about their plans to select a quarterback in the first round.

“With my situation, look it’s never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan," Rodgers told ESPN. "I love Jordan. He’s a great kid, 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. 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, a spill-out of all that. But it is about the people, and that’s the most important thing.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell contributed to this report.

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