Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly warned prospective free agents he was unlikely to return to the team.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported Rodgers told players considering signing with the Packers he had no intention of playing football for Green Bay in 2021. Garafolo added A-Rod might have been offering that sentiment since the Packers selected quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
From NFL Now on @nflnetwork: On @BobMcGinn’s “Krause” report and Aaron Rodgers’ warning #Packers prospective free agents for quite some time he wasn’t expecting to be back in Green Bay in 2021. pic.twitter.com/pXdYHffCiY
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 5, 2021
There are certain qualifiers here, of course.
As Garafolo noted, Packers offensive lineman and Rodgers confidant David Bakhtiari signed an extension with the team last November. That would seem to indicate he felt Rodgers was bluffing in his desire to leave the team.
It's hard to know what all this means. Obviously, it wouldn't be great for the Packers if Rodgers were really dissuading quality players from coming to Green Bay. Then again, some of those players, like Bakhtiari, might take his word with a grain of salt.
One thing is clear: the Packers have no interest in trading Rodgers, at least not right now.
Team president Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst have repeatedly stated they see Rodgers being under center in the coming years. That message did not change even after the initial report of Rodgers' frustrations first surfaced last Thursday.
The Packers don't have all that much space to sign free agents, anyway. Green Bay used a chunk of cap space to re-sign Aaron Jones, and Rodgers' cap hit is a factor precluding the Packers from making a play for notable free agents.
Ideally, Green Bay would sign Rodgers to an extension. But it's unclear whether that's still an option in light of recent events.
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