Rodgers, Packers Heading Towards a Painful Divorce
Ahead of this weekend’s International Series matchup with the New York Giants in London, uncertainty once again hangs over the future of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers juggling with his future in Green Bay has been a constant talking point in NFL discourse for over half a decade. Despite signing a shiny new four-year contract this past offseason, rumours of his future persist.
Rodgers, who has never shied away from criticising the Packers organisation, this week hinted at retirement at the culmination of this season.
This past offseason the Packers traded away Rodgers’ number one receiver, Davante Adams, to Las Vegas. This has left a significant talent vacuum on offence, with a young receiving core tasked with taking Adams’ workload.
It has been a bumpy start on offence this season for Green Bay as a result. Rodgers, after defeating the New England Patriots last week in overtime, branded the style of victory as “unsustainable” due to the reliance on the defence. The Packers won an ugly game down in Tamp Bay the week previous, only scoring 14 points in the process.
Rodgers claims the performances of the players on the team will have a big impact on whether he returns to the Packers next season, stating “there’s moving pieces that’ll factor in… but seeing the development of those guys can’t help but be a part of the decision”.
It is obvious Rodgers has been unhappy with some moves made by the team in recent years, and as always, he’s never one to bite his tongue.
From drafting QB Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 draft, to the failure of the organisation to equip their quarterback with weapons outside of Davante Adams, who is no longer a Packer.
As a result, the prospect of a painful divorce will continue to bubble under the surface. If Rodgers were to retire following this season, the Packers would be left in a $40m hole in the salary cap, severely damaging their mobility in the market. The possibility of a trade, perhaps back to his childhood team the 49ers, is another scenario that cannot be ruled out.
In the short term, Rodgers is happy. Green Bay arrive in London as the 32nd and final team to play an international series game. The back-to-back league MVP told reporters on Friday that it will be “a special moment” to play in front of the London crowd.
Despite the rocky start to the season, Green Bay are 3-1 and are eight-point favourites against the Giants (3-1) this Sunday.
With Saquon Barkley rediscovering his form following an injury ravaged few seasons, the Giants arrive in London in the midst of their best start to an NFL season since 2016. They were dismantled 38-13 by the Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs that season and haven’t returned to the postseason since.
Rodgers’ future is a fluid situation with a lot of moving parts, and as the season progresses it should become clearer where that will be. If it were to end this year, Rodgers’ tenure could be seen as an underachievement, with just the lone Superbowl victory in 2010 to his name.
By years end, Rodgers will be close to 500 career passing touchdowns, and entering this season surpassed 55,000 passing yards. The 4-time MVP has his future in his hands. If the Packers fail to win this year and Rodgers leaves for pastures new, those in charge at Lambeau Field will have failed to fully benefit from having one of the greatest players to ever play the game.