If Aaron Rodgers wants to be traded, he needs to come out and say it. It’s that simple.
The reigning MVP has had plenty of opportunities to come out and say that he wants to be traded, but has decided not to. Rodgers was asked about it at his two most recent golf outings, both of which were on national television. This past weekend, No. 12 said he’s going to, “get back to working out, and figure things out in a couple weeks.”
Even during “The Match,” his opponent Tom Brady even made multiple jokes about him possibly leaving Green Bay, but Rodgers just sat there with a grin on his face and laughed it off.
Rodgers had another chance to clear the air while he appeared on Sports Center for Kenny Mayne’s final show and still refused to publicly request a trade. Instead, he explained that there was no issue with the Jordan Love pick.
The Super Bowl MVP added, “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” when talking about the Packers’ organization.
Rodgers mentioned that winning the MVP award last season threw a “wrench” into the situation. This means it could be more difficult for the Green Bay front office to sell the idea of trading him away. If Rodgers hadn’t been named MVP, maybe he would’ve been traded by now.
After throwing out hints every time Rodgers speaks, he’s also let his actions speak for themselves. He’s missed all of the Packers’ offseason workouts thus far and has yet to report back to the team. It remains unclear whether or not he will report to training camp for the Packers later this month.
The deadline also passed for players to opt out this season, yet Rodgers remained quiet and he chose not to opt out. This means he might’ve lost some leverage because he is telling everyone that he wants to play this season.
The question is for who though?
It’s clear this frustration has been brewing for some time now up in Green Bay, but we really got the confirmation on draft day back in April. ESPN’s Adam Schefter put out the news that Rodgers was unhappy with Green Bay and has told players that he doesn’t want to return.
It’s unclear if teams made an official offer to the Packers during the draft, but sources have told me that a team did make an offer to Green Bay before the draft.
Again, at that time, Rodgers still didn’t demand a trade.
According to Mark Schlereth of 104.3 The Fan in Denver, a Rodgers trade to Denver was close to getting done. That news came just a couple of hours later after Schefter put out the news of a frustrated Rodgers.
The reigning NFL MVP then asked Schlereth where he got the info and when asked if it’s true Rodgers mentioned, “we’ll find out together.”
It had been reported that the Packers front office was going to fly out and meet with Rodgers and offer him a long-term contract extension that would give him a ftyhe pay raise, but that seemed to not have gone the way they wanted it to go.
So here’s what we know, money isn’t an issue for Rodgers. It’s been reported that he’s told teammates that he doesn’t want to return, he skipped offseason workouts, and laughs at jokes about being traded.
If the gun-slinger really wants out he needs to just come out and say it. Rodgers and his agent needs to call Packers GM Brian GuteKunst and request a trade because as of right now there’s no need for them to trade him.
The Packers have leverage right now since Rodgers hasn’t formally requested anything and if he doesn’t show up for training camp and the season, he will be fined dramatically.
Former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning even said over the weekend on MLB Network, “At this point you’ve kind of got to know what your plan is. You can’t be having a new quarterback three weeks before the season.”
With the clock ticking and the season getting closer and closer, Rodgers needs to make his decision quickly. Will he stay with Green Bay and remain “unhappy” or force his way out to somewhere that he wants to play this season?
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