Green Bay Offseason Plans Dependent Entirely on Aaron Rodgers Decision
When we think of one-man teams in the NFL, the most recent and dominant example would have been Tom Brady's influence at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (and his departure is certain to hit the Raymond James Stadium team very hard indeed) but close behind may well be the Green Bay Packers.
Last offseason, the rumors circulated widely that experienced quarterback Aaron Rodgers would look to leave the Packers, and the reasoning behind the stories revolved around him wanting more of a say in terms of recruitment as well as an apparent annoyance with the drafting in of young pretender Jordan Love.
However, Rodgers stuck around and put in another masterclass of a season to pick up a back-to-back NFL MVP award. Now, if you look at the NFL futures picture, here, for instance, https://www.sidelines.io/nfl/odds, you'll see that Matt LaFleur's side is the fourth favorite to clinch a Super Bowl success, currently at odds of (+1300).
Now, if Rodgers were to leave before the new season starts, well, you can guarantee that the Packers would fall down the pecking order at an alarming rate, that's how important the 38-year-old is to Green Bay, and it's something that is becoming increasingly apparent to those at the top.
Indeed it's not even a secret, hence the comments made by Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, who stated;
"Obviously, everything around here centers around the quarterback. That's kind of how we do things,"
"It's a big piece. It's a domino that has to fall before we go down other avenues. So it's important as we go through this and the puzzle pieces that we got to make fit. That's the first one to go."
The deal that is likely to be offered to Rodgers would make him the highest-paid player in the NFL, according to many reports and having spent 17 seasons at Green Bay, the 10-time Pro Bowl pick is apparently keen to nip the situation in the bud and doesn't want things to drag on, as they did last summer.
Rodgers has essentially three options. He can return to Green Bay (with a likely improved deal), request a trade, or retire from the NFL entirely. Of those, the most unlikely appears to be the option of calling his career to a halt. Given the amazing form he's put in over the past two seasons, there seems little reason he'd look to call it a day.
The Packers will look to make any deal all the sweeter by adding a huge signing bonus, and there is a sense that Rodgers sees there is unfinished business to take care of at Lambeau Field.
It's now 11 years since he led the Packers to a Super Bowl success, coming in a 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Cowboys Stadium, and he may feel that he can repeat the feat at Green Bay.
If he doesn't feel that can be achieved at Green Bay,, he’ll undoubtedly have no shortage of offers if he does indeed become available.
