Cory's Corner: Whom Do You Trust?
The truth lies somewhere in the middle between Aaron Rodgers' truth and the Packers truth.
Who is telling the truth?
“I wish that in the beginning of the offseason that had been the conversation because I love direct communication,” said Aaron Rodgers on the “Pat McAfee Show” on March 15 about not being in communication with the Packers.
Then Monday happened. At the NFL league meetings in Phoenix, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had something else to say. “Our inability to reach him or for him to respond in any way,” said Gutekunst. “I think at that point, I had to do my job and kind of reach out (to other teams) and understand that a trade could be possible and see who was interested.”
OK, it doesn’t take a doctorate degree to read the tea leaves here. When Rodgers made his big revelation to Mr. Tank Top, we were getting Rodgers’ truth. Now Gutekunst just gave us the Packers truth.
What actually happened is somewhere in the middle. What we do know is that the relationship between both sides has spun out of control and it does need to end. But that doesn’t mean that the Packers are going to accept a leftover grilled cheese sandwich and some fruit snacks as trade compensation. “He’s a premier player, so getting premier picks back for (premier) players is important.”
I agree with Gutekunst. The Packers cannot bend. Rodgers has won the NFL MVP two of the last three years. The Jets have been a wasteland at quarterback. If the Jets think they can win the AFC East with Rodgers, then there is a price for that.
I honestly don’t see an end to this for quite some time. If Rodgers gets traded after June 1, the dead cap hit is $15.8 million. If Rodgers gets traded before June 1, that number is $40.3 million. The Packers have $24.5 million reasons to wait.
At this point, there is nothing else to say. Rodgers gave us his side and Gutekunst has given us the Packers’ side. The divorce is on the horizon. Both sides wanted this to be warm and fuzzy but when has a breakup ever been warm and fuzzy? It gets ugly. Words are said and feelings get hurt. Of course, time will heal all wounds when Rodgers comes to Lambeau Field. The crowd will give him a rightful standing ovation as they put his name and number in the Ring of Honor — probably at halftime of a Chicago Bears primetime game. (I mean, why not own them for one last game?)
Rodgers may return fire at Gutekunst, but does it really matter? Both sides know where they stand with the other party. Rodgers doesn’t think that the Packers truly wanted him back in 2023 and the Packer never thought that Rodgers’ heart was truly in it for the 2023 season.
I don’t know if Jordan Love is going to be great, good, average or awful. But I think a great first step is bringing Aaron Jones, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs to California to get their timing down. That tells me that Love knows that he is hungry and he cannot do it all alone.
And that was Rodgers’ biggest downfall. He thought he had to do it all by himself, when in fact, that simply wasn’t true. At some point, even the elite have to trust their teammates if they are to succeed.
But who are we supposed to trust now?
-------------------
Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
Comments (281)
stockholder
March 28, 2023 at 06:28 am
It’s ugly- Gutey Lies. We know that.
It started with No negotiations.
PER- The reworking of Contracts.
The release of his friends.
But take your time! While we screw your ass.
They wanted Rodgers to play for Nothing.
Because thats the thought here now.
We're not going anywhere. But Down.
Change must happen for Gute.
Solution:- A contract is a contract.
Who cares if they get a consolation pick.
Either he comes back, or he retires.
The impact is hurting Rodgers just as much
As the packers.
The Egg is on the Face of this Administration again.
First #4 now #12. The show goes on.
And so do the Lies.
bottlefliper
March 28, 2023 at 07:14 am
AR got no friends, just some guys who might think they need him. Thanks God a guy who is not 1% Packer People is gone.
Dont care since 5 years, cant believe him one word since 2013 since all that crap started. Thats why most people are so glad we got rid of him. Not the losing got him, his off the filed antics did
Lomardi would had gave up 5 first rounders just to get him out of Green Bay......
TKWorldWide
March 28, 2023 at 07:51 am
On another note, how does one “flipe” a bottle?
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 11:22 am
You have to roll the "r."
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 05:59 pm
He must be a Bar Tender. Male AOC?
I had a full-time job as a bartender as an Airman in the O club, RAF Lakenheath, UK, in addition to my Police Duties. I could flip a bottle of booze with the best of them after 4 years. I bought my first brand new car with the tips after 2 years. '86 Mazda 323 GT-R with a 5 speed, sunroof, tax free, and paid cash... Picked it up in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Took the Ferry across the North Sea both ways.
Great memories.
WestCoastPackerBacker
March 28, 2023 at 10:51 am
Assuming you mean 100% Packer People? Because Rodgers is at least 1% packer people. And that's like not expecting someone who works at Apple Computers to ever take a job with a competitor because of needing a change of scenery.
These guys are all Packer people while in the Green and Gold and then they are other people. Why? Because GB doesn't want them any more and that hurts. All the way back to Ryan Longwell, who went to MIN when GB didn't offer him a dime. He came back to GB to retire, saying it was the best place to play in the NFL. If Rodgers got the feeling GB wanted to move on, he was probably right, and he had to decide whether to retire or try with another team. Gutey has painted a nice picture of Rodgers not returning his calls, but if Rodgers was intuitive about where GB was at, I can see why he didn't want to talk to Gutey. Gutey can call them "conversations," as if it is two-sided, but if GB wanted to move on to Love, then it was actually just an announcement, described as a conversation.
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 05:28 pm
His losing lost me.
The guy hasn’t smelled a Super Bowl in more than a decade.
SensualInfluence
March 28, 2023 at 07:21 am
Hold it together. You’re embarrassing yourself
marpag1
March 28, 2023 at 07:30 am
"They wanted Rodgers to play for Nothing."
LOL. Dude, they gave him the first $50M/year contract in the history of the league...
stockholder
March 28, 2023 at 07:34 am
That was then, this is now.
Age = Almost Gone.
marpag1
March 28, 2023 at 07:40 am
LOL. Well, I stand corrected then! Stockholder has spoken!
Tell us more about these recent negotiations in which the Packers wanted to reduce his salary to "Nothing" ...
Stop talking out of your ass.
stockholder
March 28, 2023 at 07:46 am
He offered to change his contract.
Wasn't that before the 35 roster holes?
bottlefliper
March 28, 2023 at 07:53 am
AR would never give anything to some else, be alone the Packers or worse........the Packers Fans.
Look as his friends, if you want to use the word here, Rogan, McAffee, Portnoy....that tells you all you need to know. Borderline egomanics who are never been too smart....
TKWorldWide
March 28, 2023 at 07:57 am
Who are never been too smart?
dobber
March 28, 2023 at 08:06 am
Shh...he's on a roll.
TKWorldWide
March 28, 2023 at 09:49 am
Withdrawn. LOL
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:12 pm
LMM%'inAO TK...
Him trying to dog McAfee, who is a millionaire businessman is quite funny though.
DanL
March 28, 2023 at 11:17 am
Cookie
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:45 am
Yeah, the play for nothing comment made me laugh. That being said, the Packers won't be paying 50M. They only paid Rodgers 42M last year. No doubt that second year hit was by design.
Who knows what the restructure will look like when the trade is done. I suspect it will look much different then it does right now.
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
March 28, 2023 at 11:47 am
What they actually gave him vs what the cap hits are arent the same thing. He got a huge chunk of cash last year and will get another one ($58.3 mil) as soon as his option is picked up by packers. All that money is pushed out onto 2024 and 2025 salary caps which is why he becomes impossible to move after this season.
stockholder
March 28, 2023 at 11:59 am
Who pushed it there.
The damage was done by the FO.
Not the QB. The idiots in charge.
Fire them.
We need Fairness and Truth brought back too GB.
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 04:35 pm
Rodgers was paid 42M last year. The cap hit was 28.5M for 2022. He's getting paid almost 60M this year, which the rest of 100M fully guaranteed part of the contract. The Packers won't be on the hook for that when the trade happens. Hence, they have not paid him 50M in a year.
jannesbjornson
March 28, 2023 at 09:57 pm
The only reason he is being moved is the Money.
Oppy
March 28, 2023 at 10:36 pm
Maybe the only reason he got that money was because the FO wanted an easy explanation for why they are moving him.
Maybe the real reason Rodgers is being moved is he's a cancerous diva who's getting older and the team is done with him and his baggage. It's alot easier to explain the reason you're divorcing a 4 time MVP is because you can't afford the sticker price than to tell the world he's a p.o.s.
fair_weather
March 28, 2023 at 08:33 am
Entertaining as always, SH.
jurp
March 28, 2023 at 08:38 am
But borderline disturbing...
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 11:24 am
Borderline.
Feels like I'm going to lose my mind...
(Special prize: Give The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs cover of Borderline a listen to. OMG!!! Saw them close with that at the Riverside Theater years ago. They opened with a cover of Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf!)
Carry on.
jannesbjornson
March 28, 2023 at 08:35 am
News from Outside the Cult:
finchy74 says:
March 26, 2023 at 12:07 pm
I’m amazed by the loyalty that Pack fans have for the front office. After Rodger’s renaissance under LeFleur and a 13-3 season, they trade up to reach for Jordan Love (a guy everyone had as a 2nd/3rd round talent) instead of trading up a few spots higher to draft JJ (and a likely SB championship). So high draft capital spent on a guy who could never help the current team get to a SB.
Then in an era of the NFL where it’s critical to take advantage of a QB’s rookie contract to allow for better roster construction, they sit Love on the bench for 3 years. In the modern NFL this is nothing less than abject incompetence at managing a roster. And that happened because…
..The front office allowed AR to dictate terms and at a time where Rodgers had substantial worth in a trade, and they resigned him to an enormous contract with a large % of the money guaranteed which would inevitably result in narrowing the field of potential trade partners.
And now after a season where Rodgers played the majority of the season with an injured hand, a collection of receivers that were either rookies or ready to enter the old folks home, and a massively underachieving defense, the front office and coaching staff gets a collective pass while Aaron Rodgers is the villain for the crime of being openly eccentric.
Makes a ton of sense.
jurp
March 28, 2023 at 08:40 am
Rodgers could've showed up for OTAs. Rodgers could've worked with his new receivers after the draft and before TC. Rodgers could've sat while his thumb healed...
All true, and all contradicting your news from INSIDE the cult.
jannesbjornson
March 28, 2023 at 09:27 am
THEY said it. I am just the messenger. "It is not a Lie, if I believe it" George Contanza.
WestCoastPackerBacker
March 28, 2023 at 10:55 am
Agree overall, but it was the market that dictated the terms of a guy coming off 3 seasons in a row with 13 wins and back-to-back MVPs. That is a rare, extremely rare accomplishment. No GM would have wanted to trade a player than just won back to back MVPs, and looking at the deals signed since that one, Rodgers' deal is going to look reasonable in a very, very short time.
jannesbjornson
March 28, 2023 at 01:05 pm
Buy Low...Sell High...
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 11:36 am
"News from Outside the Cult:"
That's pretty good jannes : )
jannesbjornson
March 28, 2023 at 01:04 pm
danke schoen...
epzenk
March 29, 2023 at 05:02 pm
1. You reveal a bias against the Packers management and speculate a lot based on your comments not supported with any factual data or creditable sources.
2. Fact: The Packers front office did try to draft Jefferson:
https://lombardiave.com/2021/05/03/packers-trade-justin-jefferson-draft/
3. Fact: When they couldn't jump up to get Jefferson, Gutekunst traded and moved up to draft Love b/c drafting a QB, (since the Wolf era) was a hallmark for Wolf/Thompson, Gutekunst mentors.
4. Fact: At the time Gutekunst drafted Love, Rodgers had a 'Down' year in 2018, which by Rodgers own account was below his 'standards' and it occurred again in 2019. However, when he was questioned why he has had two 'Down' years as a starting QB, he quipped: 'Down years for me are career years for most quarterbacks.'
5. Fact: Gutekunst had no idea Rodgers would win MVP status in 2020 & 2021. He drafted Love in April of 2020, Rodgers had the first of two MVP seasons 8 months later. Hind site would have been great, but wasn't an option for Gutekunst. He had to go with what he saw on the field.
6. Fact: Gutekunst back tracked his comments about his 'hand-shake deal' to trade Rodgers after the 2021 season when MLF and Murphy concluded they wanted Rodgers back b/c Love had not shown enough to that point to move on. Gutekunst wanted to move on according to a report by ESPN Reporter Rob Demovsky, who said Gutekunst lost the opportunity to trade Rodgers when MLF and Murphy, (the final authority) sided with MLF.
7. Fact: Rodgers used his new found leverage in 2022 to return with a huge contract and the control he wanted. You are correct, the Packers brass created this mess, the coaching staff screwed up a lot during the playoff losses in 2011, 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2021. Rodgers, when he had one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2011, 2014, 2016, never made the plays Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes made in the championship games where both those QBs have 9 SBs combined. So, the relationship between the Packers and Rodgers had played out long enough, and most fans wanted to move on, and if they are being unbiased know there is plenty of fault to go around for everyone. But to do that the bad guy, (in your opinion based on no factual data), Gutekunst has to clean up this mess. Most Packers fans are just that - they support the Team because as Lombardi said the Team always comes first. Players come and go so no one player is above the others. Rodgers lost me when he lied about being 'vaccinated' when in fact he was 'immunized'. The CDC's definition of both terms are completely separate. But Rodgers lied to cover up his lie he thought no one would figure out, but was later caught by the media for lying about his vaccinated status, while endangering other players, coaches and staff duirng the COVID crisis. And the Packers supported him 100% during that fiasco and some said enabled his behavior from that point forward.
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/3/16/23642264/aaron-rodgers-green-bay....
Lootstone
March 30, 2023 at 03:32 am
I agree with everything you said until the very end. If you knew the shots were conveniently rushed, new technology induced w. a carrier called graphene oxide (which graphene alone is a new tech and highly conductive), and something that has been very well documented to cause side effects for "some" people... The cdc is a joke and changed their definitions during the pandemic. The fact that he said immunized and everyone, literally everyone, associated that with getting the shot proves the bias that everyone assumed when the vaccine was introduced during this flu-pandemic. Propaganda is real and the pandemic displayed beautifully the goal of politicians in power. The sooner the world understands this shit was by design to get people to fall in line and blindly trust the gov., the sooner we can get back to freedom.
If you trust the shot, that's fine, just don't assume you get to push it on to others. That's called medical malpractice and goes against the laws in place post WWII of medical bodily autonomy. Record high death rates are being recorded all over the world that are unexplainable lately (a new phenomenon), look it up. It's not a coincidence. Just people going along with a narrative of not truly taking personal responsibility and leaving other people alone. My grandmother developed heart palpitations, my neighbors cancer coincidentally came back, list goes on and on. Me, no shot, had covid twice, fought it off with vitamin C and zinc like most people who understood it was a flu and the variants were mild. Where on the news did you hear exercise or get vitamin D, which is massively important for your immune system? No instead we used some of the healthiest people on the planet as poster boys for how necessary this new "shot" was.
You get the shot, you can still get covid, and still spread it with no diminishing results other than personal symptoms... So why push it onto others?? Shame and propaganda for reasoning why the gov needs more power and you need less freedom. Freedom is rarely lost overnight.
This is one area I can be proud Aaron was my QB for. He helped wake people up to the charades that were duping so many people, and he stood his ground. Just cause you and everyone else misinterpreted, "immunized," doesn't mean he was at fault.
jurp
March 28, 2023 at 08:37 am
Well, you just called Gutekunst a liar, which is technically libel. This ranks a 10 on the Litigation Meter. Congratulations - I haven't had to dust that one off in QUITE a while.
If Rodgers were (note the use of the subjunctive here) willing to renegotiate his contract, he would've done so in order to facilitate the trade to his desired team. Naive, much, stockholder? I realize you're over 80, but come on, man, use your brain.
"They wanted Rodgers to play for Nothing."
Seriously? You're not saying that you actually believe this? Wow.
stockholder
March 28, 2023 at 11:33 am
Jump -It's time you and the others see the truth behind this.
Gute took Love to get rid of Rodgers.
Had Rodgers played out his contract.
The packers would have got a Comp pick. (3rd)
It put Gute in CONTROL!
Gute cost us the Super-bowl when he took Love.
And the Contract bought him the Time to
Continue his control over Rodgers.
Now they're No longer talking #1s.
Which he would have got from Denver.
Because Rodgers will use the retirement talk to get out.
And when they find Loves back-up;
it will cost them
whatever they get from the Jets.
jannesbjornson
March 28, 2023 at 01:22 pm
Love gives him another excuse to hang around and buy time for HIS next Contract. Rodgers play presented a gift to Gutedkunst, Low-Ball and LaFluer. Murphy's crew stays in place. In Five years, with a MVP quarterback, Gutey did not bring Home another Lombardi Trophy. The leftovers made the King pick over TJ Watt, not Ted. He was incapacitated at the time. The extension to A. Jones was not prudent. The brain trust did not have to put two years on his new deal, it was Bonus Money to be shuffled down the road on the annuity. The Rodgers' trade is about trying to recover some CAP.
Jordan
March 28, 2023 at 02:19 pm
I was immunized.
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:20 pm
Happy for ya!
Razor
March 28, 2023 at 04:47 pm
Everyone pay attention — Stockholder has the scoop — nice work — put him in charge!
epzenk
March 29, 2023 at 02:37 pm
Stockholder (I am one as well). The difference between Rodgers and Gutekunst is Rodgers lied on record, Gutekunst has not to this point. And your comment regarding Gutekunst lying is nothing more than speculation and your disdain for Gutekunst and the Packers brass about how ‘players’ were not treated well.
As a reminder, Aaron Rodgers on the Pat McFee show said this when explaining his ‘immunized’ versus ‘vaccinated’ status: “I’d been ready the entire time for this question and had thought about how I wanted to answer it. And I had come to the conclusion I’m gonna say, ‘I’ve been immunized.’ And if there’s a follow-up, then talk about my process. “But, (I) thought there’s a possibility that I say ‘I’m immunized,’ maybe they understand what that means, maybe they don’t. Maybe they follow up. They didn’t follow up. So then I go the season (with) them thinking, some of them, that I was vaccinated.” Here's a clue:
vaccinated and immunized do not have the same definitions according the Merriam-Webster.
I challenge you to find one statement where Gutekunst has deliberately attempted to slip a ‘lie’ by the players, coaches, or fans. Whereas Rodgers, being the guy who thinks he’s always the smartest guy in the room or on the field got caught in a lie, plain and simple.
So, sit there and be upset at the Packers GM, brass etc., based on your speculation, but know this, most of the players you defend for mistreatment by the Packers make a heck of lot more money than the combined salaries of all commentators on this blog. This is not up for discussion. It’s a fact.
All of those players had a choice to move on after their rookie contracts expired, but most didn’t. Why is that? Because they were paid very well. They signed a contract they were not required to sign with a lot of zeroes at the end of each check they cashed.
I signed an enlisted contract for the Armed forces, deployed three times to combat areas and my paychecks would be considered spending cash for most Packers players. I risked my life each time.
What did they risk? Maybe injury. Yeah, I have two of those as well with two back surgeries, which are service connected injuries. My point, you have an axe to grind with the Packers. Admit it and move on b/c nothing you mentioned in your tirade is based on any evidence or factual data.
NickPerry
March 28, 2023 at 06:30 am
"Rodgers doesn’t think that the Packers truly wanted him back in 2023 and the Packer never thought that Rodgers’ heart was truly in it for the 2023 season."
I don't think there's a doubt in the world Rodgers heart wasn't in it. Every year now it's "Rodgers Watch", will he or won't he? When a player has one foot in tomorrow and one foot in yesterday he's shitting all over today. There's no middle ground there.
I'm not so certain Rodgers "Heart" wasn't in it last year either. The man gets a $153 million dollar extension while he still had a contract in place. That was the Packers informing the WORLD where their heart was. Rodgers on the other hand doesn't even have the respect for the organization OR his teammates to show up before Training Camp.
It doesn't need to me anymore complicated than that.
murf7777
March 28, 2023 at 07:49 am
NP, you’re right about the Packers committing to him for 3 years with that large contract. That’s just one reason why I believe Gutey.
I stated this right after Rodgers spoke from out of the darkness and I’ll say it again. I don’t believe Rodgers, why? Because he said how much he loved everyone in GB about 5 times and he contradicted himself during his talk on Pat Mcafee. Rodgers is disingenuous and was playing us fans for sympathy……what a joke. He wanted us to think he was the victim, even though he stated in the show that he wasn’t. Manipulation? YES. I did get quite a few down votes, but I will stand by my statement and believe I’m right.
It even looks like Rodgers had talks with the Jets before he went into the darkness.
marpag1
March 28, 2023 at 07:56 am
"I don't think there's a doubt in the world Rodgers heart wasn't in it"
Depends on what time you are talking about, Nick. Here's what Rodgers has freely admitted to McAfee:
1) At the end of the season, I (Rodgers) thought the Packers wanted me, and I was 90% certain I would retire.
2) When I came out of the darkness retreat, it seemed that the Packers didn't want me, and all of a sudden, I want to play again.
So in other words, by his own admission, when the Packers wanted him, Rodgers doesn't want to play, and when the Packer decide to move on, then whammo - now he's all fired up to play again. ARod said it, not me.
Cool. Have fun with the Jets.
TKWorldWide
March 28, 2023 at 08:07 am
Yes!
The ONE thing I’d like to know: he said before the darkness he was 90% sure he’d retire.
What I’d really like to ask him is, what was that retirement % RIGHT AFTER the darkness and BEFORE he “got the feeling GB didn’t want him”?
Admittedly, not certain, but, I think what happened was after the darkness he got his phone back and that was how he found out “from friends around the league” that GB was shopping him. He is a notorious “chip,on the shoulder” kind of (complicated) fella.
So, without factoring in the “being shopped” factor, where was his retirement % right after the darkness?
jurp
March 28, 2023 at 08:42 am
After Brady retired Rodgers had no intention of retiring this year. Not. A. Chance.
LambeauPlain
March 28, 2023 at 08:53 am
I believe this^^^was the basis of the epiphany in the dark to shelve 90% retirement plans for the "intention to play for the Jets".
TKWorldWide
March 28, 2023 at 09:51 am
You mean the Brady retirement?
LambeauPlain
March 28, 2023 at 01:01 pm
You bet! Rodgers entering the HOF with the GOAT? The comparisons!
Brady 10 SB's and 7 Lombardi's. Rodgers one SB and one Lombardi in 2011?
His hubris could not abide that.
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 12:42 pm
Not a knock on you at all, but, reading this & other stuff from The Drama Files, I'm constantly saying to myself, "Who the F cares? The guy is a douchenozzle."
Aaron Rodgers is so full of shit. Enjoy that, Jets.
You know what I'm REALLY anxious to see? If Big Dog comes back to GB, or if he follows along with AR to the Jets..???
Is Mercedes Lewis really all-in with AR??? As much as AR is with him??? I don't know.
He might see his chances are better with this 2023 Packers team than the shit storm the NYJ are about to embark on with AR at QB1. If that happens??? whoooooo-eeeeeeeee!!!
That I'd find highly entertaining. Rodgers being dissed by the Big Dog???
WOOF!
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 10:18 pm
Sure Marcedes can't wait for those 7 targets next season. SMH
fthisJack
March 28, 2023 at 02:32 pm
He got the "feeling' that the Packers didn't want him anymore. That's where the problem lies. He could have met with Gute like a man and put all the cards on the table. But he's a chickenshit. He can't get along with his family let alone his bosses. He has to gaslight them and make them look like the bad guys. Good riddance Aaron.
Gute said in his interview that they don't necessarily need a number one draft choice to get the deal done. There goes 13. I'm going to be very pissed when they get out negotiated by the Jets! The Jets!!!
Guam
March 28, 2023 at 09:00 am
You got a thumbs up from me NP as Rodgers has too often in the past played loosely with the truth ("I've been immunized") for me to give him extensive credence. However I might quibble with your statement that "the Packers informed the WORLD where their heart was" with the $153 million contract. That wasn't the Packers, it was Mark Murphy.
I make that distinction because I believe there has been a schism in the Packer front office for a while now with Gute in the camp of wanting to trade Rodgers and Murphy wanting to retain him. Rodgers would certainly have been aware of that schism and given his narcissistic need for support and love, I suspect that had something to do with his lack of buy-in last year as well as going forward. Granted given the size of the contract he should have been all-in, but human motivation can be a funny thing and Rodgers is a "complicated fella".
As with many divorces, this one is complicated and potentially messy. However I am firmly with Gute - the Packers should have traded Rodgers last year and gotten great value for a guy in the twilight of his career.
6packerfans
March 28, 2023 at 10:49 am
Agree 100%. Aaron is the most over rated QB of all time!
WestCoastPackerBacker
March 28, 2023 at 11:08 am
This is a pretty ridiculous statement. First, you have to define "over rated". Who is doing the rating? Your cousins? Do your cousins rate him too high? The media? Fans? Opposing defenses? Because if you use raw stats, Rodgers is simply one of the highest rated QBs of all time. It's a rare accomplishment to win as many games as he did, win a Super Bowl, win with poor defenses, win with half the team injured, win with himself injured, to have the best rating of all time on picks. Only Mahomes comes anywhere close to Rodgers on a stats level for completion and QB rating and TDs to picks. And then there's the 4 x MVPs. Only Peyton Manning has more MVPs. Rodgers has more than Brady, indicating his relative importance to the team versus Brady's (played on teams with better defenses).
So, it would be very difficult to over-rate Rodgers unless you said he was the best to ever throw a football. You could get some real argument about that. But nobody who knows football would argue he's not in the top tier of talent and accomplishments. Pure mastery of the game, ridiculous accuracy, and crazy game-winning Hail Marys, among other exciting things for fans to watch.
barutanseijin
March 28, 2023 at 03:42 pm
His playoff numbers are not so dazzling
, especially in the later rounds and there are some really awful games in his resume. He’s good enough to rack up a pretty passer rating against chump teams like the Lions and Bears in the regular season but not good enough to put up a victory against Brady, Eli or Seattle in the playoffs. Overrated? The evidence suggests he is.
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 10:36 pm
He's the best pure passer in the modern era, no doubt in my mind.
He also could've played better in big games. Too many times he's just not lived up to the billing of one of the best to ever play the game. He won plenty of games. Given us quite the memories, and I'm not arguing the FO couldn't have done a better job putting weapons around him, but when we needed him to step up the most, he wasn't able to.
FO putting up with terrible DCs isn't his fault either, so there's plenty of blame to go around and we've had our share of mismanagement in games as well. Sad it comes a year late, but trading AR12 is the absolute right move in my opinion.
I actually wish him well which is more than most around here seem to do. Just hoping Love meets up with him in the Super Bowl in a couple of years. Can't wait for Sul to pick 6 him!
; )
Handsback
March 28, 2023 at 06:50 am
I guess I’m in the group of don’t give a s—-!
Time to move on and enjoy the season of Love.
Just MHO
Coldworld
March 28, 2023 at 08:30 am
“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things could fall together.” Marilyn Monroe
LambeauPlain
March 28, 2023 at 09:28 am
True.
And "If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said 'Don't change anything.'" - Henry Ford
fthisJack
March 28, 2023 at 02:44 pm
"The future ain't what it used to be." Yogi Berra
Savage57
March 28, 2023 at 06:53 am
In situations like these, the question I always ask myself is to dig deep into the root of their motivation.
In Gute's case, it's his interpretation, in his role as the team GM, of how to best attend to the needs and interests of the Packers.
In Rodgers' case, it's his interpretation, in his role as one of the top NFL QB's, how to best attend to his own needs and interests.
The truth, subject as it is these days to convenient manipulation, isn't as important as to why someone would act and who benefits from their doing so. Gute probably understands the Packers will be a weaker team minus Rodgers, but is still acting in line with his fiduciary interest to the team, even at potential risk to his continuation of his role with it.
LambeauPlain
March 28, 2023 at 09:03 am
Yes. One is invested in themself, the other in the organization's future.
I am thinking Gutey is putting up with being an Assistant GM to Acting GM Murphy with the expectation, that soon, he will be a GM with total responsibility and authority to run the football operation. Like TT and Wolf were. Shoot, even Sherman had more power!
I will venture Gutey never believed the Football Committee structure Murphy put in place "temporarily" back in 2018, would still be in place 5 years later.
But Murphy is gone within two years, so until then, Gutey will be a good corporate soldier and play the long game.
Leatherhead
March 28, 2023 at 06:03 pm
"""Gute probably understands the Packers will be a weaker team minus Rodgers,""""
I can't get onboard with that. Going back to the home loss against SF, when we were the #1 seed and had a bye week, and then through the 17 games last season, Aaron Rodgers has been a very average 8-10 QB who has been especially poor in the two elimination games, where he is 0-2.
That's who we're replacing. Not the current MVP, not the HOFer. A 39 year old guy who isn't taking us anywhere we want to go and it's time to let somebody else drive the truck. Especially when it looks like he's going to be really good at it.
SinceLombardi
March 28, 2023 at 06:57 am
I don’t think Rodgers was thrilled with his chances for winning in 22 or 23. At his age that’s the bottom line.
He has a chance with the Jets in a really good division. The Packers are a poorly coached team. Without superior talent they look bad. I don’t think the rest of the ( non Rodgers) MLF era will go well.
Coldworld
March 28, 2023 at 07:55 am
If that’s true though, that was foreseeable a year ago.
LambeauPlain
March 28, 2023 at 08:18 am
Foreseeable...and called risk analysis. And you foresaw this risk earlier than most.
I only have opinions of the actual truth of things, and I still believe Gutey foresaw this too and was more than willing to pull the trigger with Denver, but was overruled by Murphy (who was heavily influenced by MLF).
I believe during and after the season, Rodgers was increasingly more ambivalent, less invested in the team and more distracted than ever. I believe Gutey was finally able to prevail on Murphy. Murphy even said last week "I have been sworn to secrecy about the Rodgers trade."
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 04:03 pm
.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 08:56 am
Frankly, I don't think AR felt like he was going to win QB1 out right in 2023, which prompted him to behave the way he has.
The only reason AR kept playing thru the end of the season is that Jordan Love has no game experience. You have heard Gutey say over and over that Love needs game experience and you are not going to throw him in those critical games down the stretch when your chances of post season are hanging by a thread.
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 04:04 pm
... with the chance being the kid brings home a winner, and into the playoffs.
Razor
March 28, 2023 at 04:50 pm
Wow, are you and Stockholder related?
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 07:00 am
"Who Do You Trust?"
I trust no one.
"Who is telling the truth?"
Both and Neither. They are each telling their version of the truth, and 1/2 truths. Like Rodgers "I was 90% sure I was going to retire, then decided to turn it around." I don't believe that is true. And the Packers "we tried to get a hold of him and couldn't". Umm, when did they try to get a hold of him? Was it during the darkness retreat when he didn't have his phone? Because Rodgers said that when he came out there was a change in things. So if that is when Gutey tried getting a hold of him and he didn't get a response, that is telling 1/2 the truth. Meaning that they did try to get a hold of him, but they didn't get a response back because Rodgers was away from his phone.
Essentially we are watching a divorce. The truth is none of us will know what really was going on behind closed doors. Unfortunately we are not the fly on the wall seeing what the reality is, so we are all here trying to speculate what the truth is. When friends get divorced the best thing to do is not to take sides in the divorce. Just move forward. There are going to be many he said/she said things. Like he or she cheated on us, when in reality no one cheated.
We are Packers fans and will continue to be. We just need to move on. Don't need the drama, just get this trade done and move on.
bottlefliper
March 28, 2023 at 07:43 am
When its like a divorce you have to say that AR started cheating after the honeymoon was over. But as a halfway strong cheater, he always blamed everone else. And he played the victime with such joy and I have to admit, he is really good at it......
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:20 am
ok
murf7777
March 28, 2023 at 07:59 am
RC….I agree it’s hard to see who is telling the truth and/or half truths. Looking the facts thou leads me to believe Gutey is telling the truth.
Let’s be the Jury for moment.
Facts:
Rodgers admitted that GB told him they wanted him to keep playing and retire a Packer during his exit visit.
Packers committed the largest 3 year contract with much guaranteed to Rodgers just last year.
Rodgers stated he loves all of us in GB during the Pat Mcafee show multiple, maybe 5 times. Overkill.
When just looking at those 3 facts, I can draw a fairly decent conclusion that Rodgers is the one not telling us the truth.
Also, subjectively and not fact, during the show Rodgers stated he wasn’t a victim, but then why did he portray himself as a victim? That’s my opinion of how I felt he came across during the interview.
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:22 am
I would say Gutey is mostly telling the truth. But likely not telling the whole truth.
For example, "we couldn't get a hold of him". Well, when did the try getting a hold of him?
We don't know all the truths and never will. At this point, its just time to get the trade done and move on.
croatpackfan
March 28, 2023 at 10:04 am
Murph, remember when I wrote, after Mark Murphy said "we are not idiots" who is saying that? Idiots!
"I'm not a victim!" is always said by victim!
Philarod
March 28, 2023 at 10:49 am
"Also, subjectively and not fact, during the show Rodgers stated he wasn’t a victim, but then why did he portray himself as a victim? That’s my opinion of how I felt he came across during the interview."
Sounds like the Chris Rock Netflix special!
I say that only partially tongue-in-cheek, as nearly everyone tries to spin narratives their own way, but it's sometimes easy for the viewer or reader to spot those inconsistencies.
On the Pat McAfee Show interview, it seemed that Rodgers was being honest, and I had (now dwindling) hopes that this split will go about as well as possible. But if the deal is held up for days, weeks, even months, this could get quite ugly.
murf7777
March 28, 2023 at 05:59 pm
Phil, at first I felt the same thing about Rodgers being honest, but after thinking about it I came to a different conclusion. People don’t say over and over how much they Love something…..Look at the facts, not his ability to act. He’d make a good politician. That’s my thoughts.
Coldworld
March 28, 2023 at 08:01 am
“We are Packers fans and will continue to be. We just need to move on. Don't need the drama, just get this trade done and move on.”
Yes. That’s the only healthy thing to do. We will never know exactly how both sides got themselves to this point. It’s very clear that it’s just past the point if no return. The sooner the final separation is official the better for all of us.
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:24 am
We really don't know how we got here. I mean we know that drafting Love started this whole thing. But we don't know what was said, what their conversations were like or anything.
Either away, we are here. lets get this trade done.
fthisJack
March 28, 2023 at 03:08 pm
Yes it got to be a mess and the divorce should have been completed then. Rodgers complaining they didn't give him enough weapons like Cobb, OBJ, wa wa wa. Management isn't catering to his every whim and they caved and gave him a truckload of money. We have the same scenario now except its going in the opposite direction. He wants out because they didn't kiss his narcissistic ass and beg for forgiveness after his darkness retreat.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:00 am
RC,
The only thing I agree with is "we just need to move on. Don't need the drama, just get this trade done and move on".
There is zero question Gutey is telling the truth. He is in a corporate position representing the Packers & reports to Murphy, who reports to the Executive Committee. He had better have documentation to his attempts. This is the face of the organization and you just signed him a year ago to a $150 million dollar contract. You better know that Gutey damn well tried and documented everything. This was probably a daily conversation with Ball, Murphy & LeFleur. No doubt, all four of these guys tried communicating with AR. Last offseason all four flew out to meet with AR at his home.
Transparency & honesty.....bull shit! True colors have been shown finally!
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 09:56 am
You can agree or disagree with what you choose.
I think Gutey is mostly telling the truth. But did he frame things so that it makes them look better? I believe so.
This is a both sides deal. It isn't all Packers or all Rodgers in this situation. That is essentially what I'm saying. We are hearing parts of truth, but not the complete truth from both sides.
Bearmeat
March 28, 2023 at 09:51 am
And what if one of the friends was a total piece of shit for the last half decade? Should you take sides then? Or just be happy for the one who was abused that they're out of that relationship. Methinks the latter.
Rodgers has been a piece of shit as a human being for a loooooong time. Since 2014, and outside of 1/2 of 2016 and 2020, he has been a top 10 QB, but not an elite QB. 2021's MVP was a "who else are we gonna give it to." award.
The Packers (and us) are well shot of him, and I'm going to enjoy watching the clown show in Jests land this year.
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 10:14 am
Obviously its based on each situation. And we aren't talking about abusive relationships. Thats something entirely different.
I disagree with you that he is a piece of shit human. Just because you disagree with him over stuff, doesn't make him a bad person. I don't know him. But from what I have heard from people is he is a caring person.
You can say what you want about the MVP, but he earned it. Regardless of how you feel, he earned it and was the MVP. I don't get why people don't think he earned it that year.
Regardless, you do what you want and cheer how you want. I'm not going to tell you what to do.
Bearmeat
March 28, 2023 at 10:28 am
He was a very good QB in 2021. Not a game changer. The fact is, MVP has become a QB award, and there wasn't an outstanding QB that was better than him in 21. The real problem is that he choked in the playoffs (again) and then obfuscated.
If you're gonna be a DBag, you'd better win to back it up. He hasn't. Bye, Felicia.
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 10:35 am
How has he been a dbag?
Bearmeat
March 28, 2023 at 11:17 am
His Self justifying/slamming others constant appearances on Pat McAfee's show the past 3 years alone was nauseating. And there has been much, much more. Who's the problem, the many guys he's struggled with? Or the man in the mirror?
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 11:33 am
Why do you watch him on the show if you don't like him?
Who are the many guys he struggled with? Jennings, Finley. Who else?
Bearmeat
March 28, 2023 at 01:00 pm
McCarthy. Gutekunst. Murphy. Any WR or OL that isn't "HIS" guy. Plenty of people off the field, as evidenced by his many McAfee and few Rogan interviews.
And that's just getting started.
barutanseijin
March 28, 2023 at 03:54 pm
He won the MVP in 2021 because Mahomes had an off year.
jannesbjornson
March 28, 2023 at 09:55 pm
Lame.
Packers0808
March 28, 2023 at 07:01 am
Rodgers. Sit him on the bench and let him shine helmets!
murf7777
March 28, 2023 at 09:46 am
I assume you are joking……That wouldn’t be a good thing for the Locker room. It would be toxic.
Packers0808
March 28, 2023 at 09:50 am
Yes I am joking, polishing apples might be better! Just fed up with all the drama who said, who said that! Just get something settled one way or another.
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:28 pm
*Issue him a Bane Mask with no opening... (JK)
Would be fun watching 12 on the sideline if we were winning.
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 07:04 am
I don’t care. I’m done with the drama queen.
(Searches draft profiles on Taco Flavored Doritos for my pick at #13)
bottlefliper
March 28, 2023 at 07:46 am
I would say he is more of a crybaby than a dramaqueen but of course he is both more than anything.............
bottlefliper
March 28, 2023 at 07:07 am
This is 100% who AR is.......perfekt about his whole life.
Where conspiracy theories become his life and his mistrust on everything and eveyone. But its the media, the GM, the Packers FO, the Rookies, the US goverment, the planes. Most of the time he is the one to blame with all his throwing everyone under the bus all the time. Even its indirect, passiv aggresiv or over his "inner core". So he can always say......."ITS NOT MY FAULT...WHAT DID I DO"???
How much victimhood can you play when you got nearly Billions form the Packers, even when he did not play up to his contract? But even with all this, you will find some guys who defend the undefenable.
So wonder where we are in general.
And for the Packers, could you imagine how the "the Packers wasted AR Prime crowd" would defend him if had won some important games since 2011??? AR wasted the Packers prime and got paid more than most for it.
Tekraut17
March 28, 2023 at 11:03 am
Ok so we can all agree AR isn't perfect and neither is your spelling....AR wasn't the reason that we lost to SF in the conference title game and he's also the reason we didn't win other games when he refused to pass to wide open guys...it is what it is. Move on.
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
March 28, 2023 at 11:57 am
The heck he wasnt. He didnt a score a single point in the first half. Had a pick and a lost fumble. Maybe if he scored some damn points, it puts a little pressure on the 49ers and maybe its a different game. Instead, Rodgers was every bit as bad as the defense and did nothing until the 49ers defense was playing prevent in the 2nd half. Hes been shut out in the 1st half of 2 different NFC Championship Games. And everyone blames the defense lmfao.
dobber
March 28, 2023 at 07:13 am
next...
marpag1
March 28, 2023 at 07:19 am
Ding!
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:33 am
Laughing at the 1 downvote you got at this point. Apparently someone doesn't want to move on.
jurp
March 28, 2023 at 08:44 am
I believe we all know who that is.
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:54 am
i just know it wasn't me because I don't vote lol.
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 08:59 am
LOL. I didn't do it!!!!
This cracks me up... (stockholder walks off elevator).
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 11:16 am
That's what someone that did it would say.
Hmmm....
jk
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:30 pm
I down vote all my good comments so sh doesn't feel lonely. ; P
marpag1
March 28, 2023 at 07:19 am
"What actually happened is somewhere in the middle."
Sorry, but like most people, I don't take clichés as evidence. What evidence do you actually have that Gute's story or ARod's story is not exactly true and correct? Or maybe I just missed that amongst all the aimless rambling about how Jordan Love needs to invite people to California, or about what the proper trade compensation should be.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:03 am
You obviously have never been an executive in a corporate setting reporting to top management who in a situation like this would be micro managing and wanting proof.
marpag1
March 28, 2023 at 09:16 am
So as long as you're talking about wanting proof, allow me to reiterate: What evidence do you actually have that Gute's story or ARod's story is not exactly true and correct?
And if you're saying that Gute is telling the truth and Rodgers is not, how on earth does that support the weird claim that 'the truth is in the middle?'
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:47 am
Marp,
I have no evidence nor does anyone else. Furthermore, no one will likely ever produce proof.
My position is Gutey works in a corporate setting and is held responsible. AR whether you like him or not is the face of the organization. They committed to AR with a guaranteed contract a year earlier for $150 million. The GBP's have made a huge commitment to AR. A falling out would make huge headlines like it has that would be negative. Gutey reports to Murphy who is going to want proof. The Executive Committee is going to want proof from Murphy & Gutey. Gutey is not playing solo here and fabricating as he knows he is under the microscope internally, but also on a national media front. To me it is so very obvious Gutey not only is being honest, but he is carefully holding back sharing all he could. AR's name will be on the ring of honor in a few years.
There are probably daily conversations and meeting about AR in the offseason. Everything begins and ends with AR. Just like with all of us amateur draftnics you cannot plan and lay out any cohesive draft plan, or FA plan without knowing about AR.
marpag1
March 28, 2023 at 09:51 am
So you're suggesting that NFL teams and GMs (or corporations and CEOs) never lie or mislead?
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 10:03 am
I am only talking about the GBP's and not speaking for other organizations owned by some zillionaire. There is the GBP way and AR is their future Hall of Famer. This is too big for Gutey or the Packers to lie and to play games. There is a lot riding on this, and no I believe it is inconceivable Gutey/Packers would lie about this. Before they would lie or fabricate they would simply say they "do not discuss personnel matters." However, as you suggest....if the Packers were going to mislead/fabricate something it sure as hell had not be where the other party has documented proof (phone records) that you are lying & misleading. Think about that for a minute! This is all i need to know!
Phone records and text messages can be kept by both parties. Both Packers & AR. Do you think for one moment if Gutey/Packers were lying that AR would not provide copies for proof to show he was right and Gutey was lying? If Gutey is lying then it is up to AR to go on his weekly show and provide some type of proof. It should be easy to do! The Packer organization would not lie and run a risk of being exposed to the world. PERIOD!
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 12:18 pm
"Phone records and text messages can be kept by both parties."
Knock, seriously, this isn't really a divorce case lol. This isn't some life or death situation. It's two sides trying to win the battle of public opinion. At this point they all should STFU : )
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 02:13 pm
True Maine! True!
I guess I have been suppressing to the best of my abilities (& maybe not so well) how I feel about AR for several years now & Guteys response simply jives with what I have believed to be true all along.
Trade can't come fast enough! Trust me...I won't regret the trade, or be one who says....dang it...maybe we should have kept AR.
The bigger question is with everyone who is anyone being at the Owners meeting & the AR & Jets trade talks dominating NFL news....how many teams are going to approach the Packers? How many teams might say we would like to throw our hats in the ring because they realize they might be able to get AR at reduced price?
Packerpasty
March 28, 2023 at 11:12 am
funny stuff...people in corporate positions and settings never lie...they are experts at twisting a story to their way...there are many lying, two faced people in management ask any blue collar worker...
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 11:49 am
Packerpasty.....I totally agree with that statement! People are people regardless of position or power.
I just firmly believe with everything going on and being under a microscope not only within the organization, but throughout the world/media that the Packer organization (as Gutey is the face of the organization representing them) is being very transparent on this. I don't see how there is any other way as the consequences are too vital & important!
Bitternotsour
March 28, 2023 at 09:52 pm
Green and Gold is the face of the organization. The G logo. That's it boss. There'll always be a new head in the helmet. Faces of the organization wind up addicted to painkillers, sending unwanted 4" dick pics to reporters, and lying to a room full of reporters about their vaccination status. The "faces" change, the colors run true.
There is and there will always be a new sheriff in town.
bottlefliper
March 28, 2023 at 09:23 am
The AR clowns get played since 10 years and they dont get it. No wonder you can never be crazy enought to got fans..........and sport is the minor problem
PatrickGB
March 28, 2023 at 07:24 am
I know how to solve that puzzle. Maybe Aaron Rodgers went about cleaning up his phone list and kept it to the “inner circle of the inner circle” !
And by doing so he accidentally (wink wink) deleted Brian’s phone number.
So both sides are right.
stockholder
March 28, 2023 at 07:37 am
He never said," LOSE MY NUMBER".to Gute.
croatpackfan
March 28, 2023 at 07:53 am
Are you sure?
Sometimes you do not have to say or write that. It is enough to just block Brian Gutekunst number on his phone. Another way to say "Lose my number!".
PatrickGB
March 28, 2023 at 07:54 am
😉I was joking…sorta
marpag1
March 28, 2023 at 08:01 am
ARod, I've got your number
I need to make you mine
ARod don't change your number
867-5309...
jurp
March 28, 2023 at 08:45 am
Thanks for the earworm :(
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:04 am
yes he did.....just in a different way!
bottlefliper
March 28, 2023 at 07:33 am
On thing is for sure.......when people say the "truth lies in beetween" the liar always wins and thats what AR counts all the time. That the truth dies if he hates on "the media" and uses his "alternativ media" to spread "the truth".
And thats really what pisses me of that "good" always get killed with this "boothsiderism" and thats why AR comes away with it his whole life and other guys too. Shame on us, even more than on AR.....
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:35 am
The liar doesn't always win. The truth eventually comes out and the Liar doesn't win.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:08 am
the full truth doesn't always come out. AR is a Packer legacy & the Packers are going to be reluctant to trash him publicly when in just a few years his name will be put on the ring of honor, and introduced to the Packer Hall of Fame. If we really knew what has transpired over the years behind the scenes I don't think anyone would be supporting AR. When Murphy a few years ago stated "don't be the problem." When TT said "he is an interesting individual" screams a lot to me having worked in corporate management. People will see what they want to see and nothing will ever change their minds.
Guam
March 28, 2023 at 09:22 am
"A lie can travel miles before the truth even gets its boots on."
The truth might eventually catch up, but lots of damage will have been done by then.
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 10:15 am
That is some truth!
greengold
March 28, 2023 at 10:33 am
Phenomenal. Thanks, Guam!!!
T7Steve
March 28, 2023 at 07:33 am
(Fantasy football letter)
To the Packers' GM:
Fix the coaching and improve the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Have a plan for every contingency.
Control what you can control. No point to worry about the stuff you can't control.
Direct your energy and time to the Packers future not the past.
T7Steve
March 28, 2023 at 07:33 am
Too early in the morning for this stuff to happen.
egbertsouse
March 28, 2023 at 07:34 am
The objective truth is closer to Gutey’s version than Rodgers’, I believe. Rodger’s’ “truth” involves magic mushrooms, getting engaged without telling your girlfriend, being immunized without vaccine, poison contrails, and sailing off the end of the earth. Gutey’s is merely spin.
stockholder
March 28, 2023 at 07:42 am
Pa Pa Smurf wouldn't agree.
Coldworld
March 28, 2023 at 07:36 am
The best advice is to trust neither completely.
At this point the only things that matter is that Rodgers isn’t playing for the Packers again and that we should never have entered into the contract structure that enabled this situation.
Clearly the result was not a good or sustainable relationship in the eyes of one or both parties from the outset. That suggests that, in addition to the structure, there was a failure of basic assessment of the relationship and rationale for continuing it over and above the resulting performance on the field. That is unpardonable. The extension last year should never have happened and both parties are at fault for that, however the Packers leadership is paid to be competent at such decisions.
It really frustrates me that the structure prevents us knowing who called the shots over that extension clearly. Whoever did should face the consequences for it. In such situations, blame falls to the person who sits atop the pile, Murphy.
croatpackfan
March 28, 2023 at 08:27 am
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/3/16/23642264/aaron-rodgers-green-bay...
Look at this piece!
jurp
March 28, 2023 at 08:56 am
Wow. Pretty much sums everything up nicely.
LambeauPlain
March 28, 2023 at 09:22 am
Croat, the last two sentences in the article:
"This is a complicated man and a complicated situation. Thank goodness it’s finally reaching its conclusion."
For the NYJ and NY Media and NYJ fans, it is just beginning.
croatpackfan
March 28, 2023 at 10:08 am
I agree with your claim!
It will be interesting what they will get after few loses. Who will be guilty. Not his pal Hackett, not even Lazard. Who then?
That is why he did not want to go to 49ers. There he would not be able to throws a blame on others!
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:11 am
CW, I love this post & wholeheartedly agree! Someone's head should roll though GB doesn't operate like that. When TT's health was failing they covered for him even with the organization suffering rather than just replacing him.
croatpackfan
March 28, 2023 at 10:13 am
KTSOOY,
Ted Thompson wanted to retire 2 years (2016) before he was allowed due to his overall health satuts. Mark Murphy was not allow that. He tried again in 207 and finally got that in 2018.
"We are not idiots" showed little respect and compasion with very ill person who was carrying Packers football operations on his back. Mark Murphy made this mess over heavy ill Ted Thompson. And when Ted Thompson finally was allowed to retire, he got all the strings in his hands. Just to make another huge mess. This all has his stamp on it!
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 07:38 am
One thing is obvious, there's no Love between these two. Umm..never mind : )
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:12 am
I don't think it is reserved just for Gutey but for everyone within the front office. You heard AR talk over and over how no one is left in the FO from when he was drafted. He made that a point! Most everyone of significance has flown out to meet with AR and it hasn't made a difference.
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 09:36 am
"Love" : )
Coldworld
March 28, 2023 at 10:22 am
“There is always some madness in [L]ove. But there is also always some reason in madness.”
Friedrich Nietzsche (with apologies)
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 10:57 am
"Never apologize, mister, it’s a sign of weakness."
-John Wayne
: )
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:38 pm
Speaking of John Wayne, he also said:
"Life is hard, it's even harder when you are stupid."
Seems fitting to point this out to some of the posters at CHTV...
*Not you of course MPF!
**I've been stupid, it's not fun, so I quit! ; )
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 07:08 pm
lol. No doubt there are some differing opinions in here Bird. Some I really enjoy, even if I disagree with the poster's point, I appreciate and respect how they made their argument. That's the vast majority.
There are some that I just roll my eyes and dismiss because the content lacks any kind of intellectual value. Those that your John Wayne quote refers to.
Then there are the handful of angry folks that really don't enjoy debate. They just want you to agree with what they say, or simply not comment on the holes in their arguments. When you do, they are left with only insults, not counterpoints. Thank God those are few and far between : )
Whenever you, Since '61 and RC post, I always take the time to read them because they are always reasonable. Overall CHTV is an awesome site which, frankly, I spend way too much time on ; )
NoNonsense
March 28, 2023 at 07:48 am
Yeah I think it's fairly obvious that for Rodgers he felt a sense that GB wanted to move on to Love in season last year when we were all but eliminated from the playoffs. That was the beginning of the end. Then came the Cowboys game and Christian Watsons coming out party and a mini winning streak that kept them from replacing him with Love because there was a chance to make the playoffs. When we didn't make the playoffs I think Rodgers thought it was over.
For GB it started when Rodgers didn't commit fully last off-season after they gave him the huge contract. They didn't give him that contract for one year, so they wanted him to stay but once the season went off the rails they wanted to see what they had in Love and few late wins kept them from pulling the trigger on that. Then came the Philly game where Love looked pretty good almost Deja vu with the Cowboys game for a young Rodgers giving GB confidence that he had finally made the jump. I think Rodgers could also see that Love was ready and he said as much.
I still think they would have kept and played Rodgers this year if he had answered those phone calls and committed 100 percent to this year but apparently Rodgers felt like they wanted to move on so he assumed they wanted to and was ready to retire. He didn't want to have that awkward conversation that's why he didn't respond to the calls. He was just gonna announce his retirement on the Pat McAfee show and that would be that.
Once the Jets hired Rodgers buddy Hackett and were obviously interested in a veteran QB, GB gave them a call and then gave them permission to talk directly with Rodgers. Thats when he decided he wanted to keep playing but only for the Jets. The darkness retreat changed nothing. He had to really feel wanted and the Jets have showed him that commitment with the signing of Hackett and then Lazard after he gave them his wishlist, which he denies but we know he at least mentioned some guys he wanted to play with.
I personally wouldn't doubt that the stall in negotiations is Rodgers telling the Jets not to give up too much for him. Especially not the 13th pick. That's his parting gift to Gutekunst for making him feel unwanted and for drafting Jordan Love in the first place. He wants the last laugh.
I just hope GB can get those 2 2nd round picks this year and whatever else they get is a bonus. I'd like to fully eat his cap hit this year and start to heal the salary cap for the future. Love may or may not be great but we have to see what he can do as starter before any other decisions are made about the future.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:18 am
NoNonsense well said!
I will go on and state I believe there were several key points. AR knew Love looked very good and was ready combined with AR's poor 2022 performance and the Packers disappointing season. Aaron knew there was a chance he might not be the starting QB in 2023. As a player with AR's experience he just intuitively knew.
sjc28
March 28, 2023 at 07:52 am
Gutekunst and Murphy have mishandled this whole situation since Jordan Love was selected. They should have traded Rogers two years ago when they had the chance. Instead they extended his contract and gave him a boat load of money. Now 1 year later they don't want him and have no leverage due to his cap hit. What a mess.
sjc28
March 28, 2023 at 07:52 am
Gutekunst and Murphy have mishandled this whole situation since Jordan Love was selected. They should have traded Rogers two years ago when they had the chance. Instead they extended his contract and gave him a boat load of money. Now 1 year later they don't want him and have no leverage due to his cap hit. What a mess.
PatrickGB
March 28, 2023 at 07:56 am
Hindsight is 20/20. Hopefully they learn from it.
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:05 am
They should have already learned that lesson, it's not their first rodeo.
PatrickGB
March 28, 2023 at 08:11 am
One would think.
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:40 pm
Obviously, they didn't...
*Think.
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:36 am
Maine - I bought in to the fact that they learned from what happened 15 years ago and that was never going to happen again. Time is a flat circle for real.
MainePackFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:59 am
Deja vu all over again right RC?
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 09:25 am
100%
It is crazy how eerily similar things have went with Favre to Rodgers.
Coldworld
March 28, 2023 at 10:23 am
And who is the one senior leader knee deep in both?
LambeauPlain
March 28, 2023 at 01:12 pm
Murphy's phone rings: "Hello Mark! Say, the Executive Committee is meeting in the Board Room. Can you join us? That would be great."
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:41 pm
I wish...
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:42 pm
Gutey has been here since the '90s... (He ought to know better, but alas, no, he doesn't.)
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 11:54 am
You see the same negative behaviors evolve generation from generation within families. This is essentially a learned behavior by AR. I also think with the power these QB's are given within the NFL this is going to be much more common. You are starting to see it over and over with QB's.
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 06:55 pm
Until the owners, GMs, Coaches get fed up and start drafting a QB, playing him 5 years and letting him walk and draft another QB. It will come to that eventually, because nothing stays the same and if guys are going to pull stuff like AR12/Lamar/Russ, FOs are going to get fed up and react accordingly. I don't blame them.
Lamar is finding out his worth and I'm afraid when he goes back to the Ravens to play, it might be with hat in hand. If not, he can sit out and claim collusion, which it might be, but no way if I'm a GM am I giving up two 1st and guaranteeing him $250 million dollars. (And I like Lamar.) I think lots of GMs and Coaches like him, but giving up 2 - 1st and $250 million dollars isn't how you build a Super Bowl winner, IMO.
Had Brock Purdy not gotten hurt, many fan bases would be scouring late round QBs to see who the next Mr. Irrelevant would be. Some probably still are.
jannesbjornson
March 28, 2023 at 09:15 am
Remove them, asap.
TKWorldWide
March 28, 2023 at 07:55 am
1. You had me at “Mr. Tank Top”!
2. Does anyone on here remember Cow42? I think he had other “cow” variations as well, but all of them had that “Eeyore”. ‘Chicken Little” vibe.
3. Is the Worry Bus still in operation?
PatrickGB
March 28, 2023 at 07:59 am
I am past worrying. Now I just eat popcorn and watch the drama.
dobber
March 28, 2023 at 08:08 am
"Is the Worry Bus still in operation?"
It has jet engines now.
croatpackfan
March 28, 2023 at 08:23 am
Good one dobber! Box of cookies for you...
RCPackerFan
March 28, 2023 at 08:25 am
Who can forget Cow.
Tex49
March 28, 2023 at 08:27 am
I feel like Cow was like the dread pirate Roberts from princess bride, the mantle was passed on over the years. The original Cow felt like a reverse jinx in 2010 that fueled the packers superbowl run. After that it became a characture.
TKWorldWide
March 29, 2023 at 07:10 am
Inconceivable!!
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 08:00 am
Tbh - The idiocy we've witnessed from Murphy, Gutey, and Ball in the last installment of "How Stupid Can We Be?" has been astounding.
AR12 is by no means without fault, but the Three %'in Stooges have screwed this up to the point of no return and now it looks as though Gutey has screwed the pooch yet again, by opening his mouth yet again, at the wrong time, and letting Joe Douglas know he doesn't necessarily have to have a 1st round pick to trade AR12.
What's next? Drafting all defense again for the 15th year in a row?
Coldworld
March 28, 2023 at 08:09 am
Yes, give Barry a chance!
What’s next maybe startling. I foresee either a radically different feel to this team once free of Rodgers or early regime change, top down, if it proves that he was the tape holding a mismanaged crock together. One way or another, this franchise is getting a profound enema.
Now that’s going to be interesting viewing, if maybe not great football initially. It is clearly overdue.
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 08:49 am
I just can't imagine how Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst still have jobs after the handling of this the last 4 - 5 years. It just seems looking back like they decided to do the exact opposite of what an intelligent President/GM would do.
The sad part is: It isn't over yet, and there is still time for them to be even more idiotic. SMH
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
March 28, 2023 at 09:24 am
BD,
On one hand I agree but on the other from TT to Mark Murphy everyone shares the same story about AR. He is difficult! My perception is that Aaron has been so difficult to work with the Packers have had to do some unorthodox things to accommodate AR. Meaning I think at times some of us are being unfair to the FO. Without knowing what has transpired I am not saying the FO is without fault. I believe AR has tried to hold the FO over a barrel and this outcome was inevitable. I saw this happening several years ago. Where the FO really screwed up in my mind is resigning AR last season, particularly with the opportunity to get so much in return for him. This potential trade last year provided the team the right justification for moving on & they blew it. As CW states it would be nice to know who ultimately made the decision to offer AR that rediculous contract knowing this might happen, and the team would suffer for it.
BirdDogUni
March 28, 2023 at 07:21 pm
OK, prove my point for me...
They all knew who AR12 was/is... They could've easily traded him away last year for two 1st round picks, 2 second round picks, plus players... (like a high end TE we haven't had, ever!)
Hackett would likely still be a HC... (If AR doesn't break his thumb.)
1. AR has a bit of a down year in '19 - Gutey's response, instead of trading him was to draft his replacement instead of moving up and getting him a decent weapon to combat the aging process.
2. Then, he has back-to-back MVP seasons, but we still can't get over the hump because Gutey still refuses to get him a viable #1 WR, even though DA is great, but not a true difference maker/HR threat.
3. Gutey trades away his #1 WR, (Glad he got what he got for DA.) Replaces his #1 WR with a #3 WR and drafts 3 rookies. When he could've traded AR12 for Kings Ransom and installed the QB he moved up in the draft to get... No, he decided to extend him to the stupidest contract possible.
4. AR12 has a crappy year, breaks a thumb, refuses to sit, defense sucks, and you wonder why AR12 can be a bit difficult? OK...
Untylu1968
March 28, 2023 at 09:11 am
When you get that trouble maker out, the rest of the turds will follow! We're about to get way younger, with a large uptick of enthusiasm and excitement for the upcoming season. Personally, I can't F-ing wait!!
Packerpasty
March 28, 2023 at 11:16 am
and non of that enthusiasm and excitement will win many games...it takes really good players and the Packers don't currently have that many...
LambeauPlain
March 28, 2023 at 08:43 am
So you really think Gutey "screwed the pooch" by "opening his mouth yet again" to blurt out Packer negotiating positions Douglas and the Jets did not already know...weeks ago?
I think many knew a 1st round pick was not a deal breaker weeks ago. Douglas most certainly did and all Gutey confirmed is they will keep negotiating...it is how they work...but after the draft EVERYTHING changes. Gutey has a plan B.
Douglas knows this too. And Gutey also confirmed what I believed, other teams have called but they have been just "loose conversations".
Douglas knows this! And after the draft, rich with prospects the Packers need (2nd rounders will do nicely!), Douglas knows he would have competition.
I think Douglas has more dog problems than does Gutey.