The Green Bay Packers' early playoff exit was far from the team's desired result after a sensational regular season. The Packers now face great deals of uncertainty regarding the future of the organization, particularly with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur revealed that he and Rodgers met on Monday to discuss the latter's plans for 2022. Per Lily Zhao, LaFleur told reporters he was “hopeful” Rodgers would be back with the Packers next season.
#Packers Matt LaFleur said he sat down and talked with Aaron Rodgers today.
"We're hopeful that he'll be back next year."
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) January 24, 2022
After a tumultuous offseason in 2021, Rodgers' future with the Packers came into question. Various teams were linked to the veteran quarterback in trades, but nothing ever materialized. While Rodgers is under contract through 2023, he represents more than 20% of the Packers' cap space for 2022. Should Rodgers remain on Green Bay's roster, he'll be due $26.4 million while carrying a dead cap hit of $46.4 million. That means the Packers would save nearly $20 million if they trade or cut Rodgers.
While it seems unlikely that the Packers push to trade their franchise QB, especially after LaFleur's recent comments, there's still a very real chance that Rodgers requests to be dealt from the organization, having expressed his desire to avoid a rebuild.
Will the Packers accommodate Rodgers if he wants to be traded?
MLF: "Like I said last year, I haven't allowed my mind to get to that point. Just want to do everything in our power to try to get him back here and make sure he's comfortable w/the direction of our football team." https://t.co/RPdxQdlc8i
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 24, 2022
It's not only LaFleur who is keen on retaining Rodgers for 2022. LaFleur revealed that the front office shares his sentiment regarding Rodgers' future in Green Bay, indicating that he was on the same page as general manager Brian Gutekunst, executive vice president Russ Ball, and CEO Mark Murphy, per Rob Demovsky.
Matt LaFleur said it's not just him who wants Aaron Rodgers back:
"Every conversation I've had with Gutey and Russ and Mark, we're all on the same page here, so there's no debate."
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 24, 2022
As Rodgers indicated, he's going to take some time to mull over his future. The Packers' desire to have him back under center in 2022 has been made clear, but it remains to be seen if the 38-year-old feels the same way.
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