Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers made peace, but will he stay beyond 2021?
The Green Bay Packers seem ready to put the offseason drama with superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers behind them.
After a lengthy saga in which the reigning MVP's future with the team looked to be in serious doubt, Rodgers returned to the team in time for training camp.
Among his many revelations during July 28's candid news conference, Rodgers pointed to a lack of communication with the front office and general manager Brian Gutekunst about decisions that impacted Rodgers' ability to do his job.
"It's not where I need to have final say on anything," Rodgers said. "I never asked for that. I just want to be in the conversation. I'm interested in how they look at certain players."
With final roster cuts having taken place Tuesday, it appears Rodgers was more in the loop on the decisions the Packers were making.
In his news conference Wednesday, Gutekunst spoke about bridging the gap in communication with Rodgers.
"I've had really good conversations throughout camp with Aaron and [Packers head coach] Matt [LaFleur], and I think the communication has been really, really good," Gutekunst said.
"As we went into this kind of decision-making period, I think ... all the people that are kind of involved in that were very aware of what was going on and why we were doing what we were doing. So, I feel really good about that. And the conversations that I've had with Aaron have been excellent."
LaFleur echoed the rosier outlook on the relationship with Rodgers in his Thursday news conference.
He also used the "conversations" buzzword as he extolled his 37-year-old quarterback,
"There's so much that I appreciate about him," LaFleur said. "No. 1, just his love for his teammates and everybody in this building and just the honest conversations. It's been a lot of fun to grow with somebody over the course of the two years. He's a guy that [we] certainly have a lot of confidence in and a lot of trust when he goes out there on the field."
Heck, even Rodgers got in on the feel-good act in recent days.
On Wednesday, he took to Instagram to post a picture of himself and LaFleur palling around with the caption, "They said we couldn't get along," along with some laughing emojis and a red heart emoji.
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It seems things are trending in the right direction in Green Bay. But will the good times last beyond this season?
A major factor in the answer to that question lies in the restructured contract the QB agreed to before reporting to training camp. As NFL on FOX insider Jay Glazer pointed out, part of the contract allows Rodgers to seek a trade if he decides he wants out of Green Bay at the end of the season.
"If at the end of this year, Aaron Rodgers decides he wants out, they have to trade Aaron Rodgers," Glazer said Aug. 5. "They've agreed to it already."
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On "First Things First," Chris Broussard said he believes the Packers and Rodgers are on the way to patching things up and could see the QB sticking around beyond this season.
"I get that the relationship is jacked up and that's what was bothering him, but I do think there's enough time to mend the fences — at least to the point where Rodgers could stay," Broussard said. "… They've got a whole year to mend the fences, to listen to Aaron, to hear his input and make him feel like he's definitely being heard in this organization."
Broussard's cohost, Nick Wright, painted a far more pessimistic picture of Rodgers' chances to remain in Green Bay long-term.
In fact, even if Rodgers and the Packers make it over the NFC Championship hump — a roadblock that has stopped Green Bay in back-to-back seasons — Wright doesn't see Rodgers returning.
"I'm leaning towards the Packers being in the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade with Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback," Wright said. "But even that, I do not think, can salvage this relationship."
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For now, the relationship between Rodgers and the Packers seems to be on solid footing.
It's certainly better than it was during the middle of summer. Will that be the case next summer, though?
Or will the biggest offseason soap opera be back for a sequel?
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