Aaron Rodgers thinks his strong play threw a wrench in the Packers' QB timeline
Aaron Rodgers thinks the Green Bay Packers’ plan has gone awry — and that’s in large part due to his own impressive play.
It seemed the Packers were preparing for life without Rodgers when they drafted quarterback Jordan Love in the first round in 2020. The move didn’t sit well with Rodgers, who spoke out against the decision and probably would’ve preferred another top-end lineman or pass-catcher (or anything other than his projected replacement). But by playing at an extremely high level in 2020, Rodgers may have forced Green Bay to halt its plan to transition at quarterback.
At least, that’s what Rodgers suggested during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show.
Warning: This interview includes explicit language.
A lot of people have been talking about @AaronRodgers12 contract status
"Nothing's really changed. My future a lot of it is out of my control…
I may have thrown a wrench in some timelines that may have been thought about or desired" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/COXtEmomEk
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 5, 2021
“I’m not insulated completely from those conversations (about the future),” Rodgers told McAfee on Monday. “I think we’re exactly where we were last year when I made comments after the draft and throughout the season. … Nothing’s really changed. My future is really — a lot of it is out of my control. That’s why I used the phrase, ‘Beautiful mystery,’ because it is quite uncertain which direction things are going to go.
“All I can do is play my best, and I think last season I did do that, which might have thrown a wrench into some timelines that might have been thought about or desired.”
Rodgers has made a few references this offseason, including immediately after the Packers’ playoff exit, to his uncertain future with Green Bay.
He has three years left on his contract, and is due $73.85 million in new cash over those years. The Packers are moving into the phase of the contract where they would absorb a relatively modest dead cap hit ($14 million if Rodgers were traded after June 1 this year) to receive a total of $22 million in cap savings, via OverTheCap.
It’s hard to imagine Rodgers moving anytime in the near future. But he also recently told ESPN he’s not sure he’ll be able to finish his career in Green Bay, and he continuously resists making proclamations about what he wants for his future. Part of that is, as Rodgers says, just him being frank about a situation he might not have control over. But his unusual willingness to discuss these matters publicly will only stoke questions about the state of his relationship with the Packers.