Amid reports about the Green Bay Packers front office considering a trade of 39-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP had an empathetic reaction when asked about it on “The Pat McAfee Show.” That tone is stark contrast to his public feud with the team’s management prior to the 2020 season, after the team traded up to draft quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
“It’s taboo to talk about some of these ideas but to be open to the possibility that, if I want to keep playing, that it might be somewhere else, I understand that,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “I understand they might want to move on and go younger at a number of different positions. That’s a part of it.”
“I have nothing but love for the fans and the amazing people I’ve met over the years at different events. It’s a beautiful, beautiful town. So, I think there’s been a lot of fun dreaming about retiring as a Packer because there’s something really special about that. But if the competitive hole still needs to be satiated and it’s time to move on, then I hope everybody would look at that with a lot of gratitude and not any resentment.”
“Or, even on the flip side, ‘Let’s f—ing get rid of this old guy. It’s time to move on.’ I hope there’s some gratitude on both sides if that happens.”
Rodgers signed a three-year, $150M extension with the Packers last March and is due close to $60 million in 2023. He also went out of his way in his first end-of-season comments to clarify Green Bay as his preferred location. Love, who briefly replaced Rodgers due to injury this season, is entering his fourth NFL season after the Packers moved up to make him their first-round draft pick in 2020. The team will also soon have to decide about whether or not to pick up his fully-guaranteed fifth-year option. The front office could be looking to bolster its draft resources and salary cap space after an underwhelming 8-9 finish in 2022 that resulted in the first year without postseason football under head coach Matt LaFleur.
“I’ve been there 18 years, I have lifelong friends in that organization,” Rodgers said. “I have lifelong memories. I made some of my closest friends in my life because I was drafted by the Green Bay Packers and they paid me multiple contracts. Had amazing success, I met some really special, special people. So, why would I have animosity toward that? And, on the flip side,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CBSSports.com Headlines…