Packers have no choice but make Aaron Rodgers happy
The Green Bay Packers are title contenders, and the only way to remain so is making Aaron Rodgers happy for at least another season.
Perhaps we got our first important glimpse to how players inside the Green Bay Packers locker room feel.
On Monday, star receiver Davante Adams went on The Herd with Colin Cowherd and talked about his feelings should the team move on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The answer was both insightful and illuminating. Per NFL.com:
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“Potentially. Potentially .That’s my guy, that’s the only guy that I’ve had. Other than that 2017 season, when he got hurt, it’s the only guy that I’ve played with. We built up a special connection over the years that’s put us both in really good positions in our career. Not that he needed me to come along for it, cause he was already in that spot. But we established a lot together. It would change a lot, man. Doesn’t mean potentially I’d be gone, but I’d definitely have to do some extra thinking if my guy wasn’t here.”
While Adams might be the player most impacted by Rodgers skipping town, he would likely be far from the only player upset with the situation. Green Bay went 13-3 each of the last two seasons before losing in the NFC Championship Game. In 2020, Rodgers had an MVP campaign in which he threw for 4,299 yards with 48 touchdowns against only five interceptions.
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Losing Rodgers would not only take the Packers far from the Super Bowl conversation. It would be a catastrophic hit to morale. For Adams, who is signed only through the upcoming year, seeing Rodgers leave would likely make it much easier for him to bolt after 2021 as well. Even if Green Bay used the franchise tag, Adams could play hardball and force his way out.
For the Packers and general manager Brian Gutekunst, the only clear way forward is to make things right. For starters, pour more money into Rodgers’ contraction if his happiness means trading away second-year quarterback Jordan Love, get the best deal and make it happen. The Packers, who have enjoyed terrific success with No. 12 under center, must now bridge the divide for at least one more year, if not the full three remaining on Rodgers’ contract.
With training camp a few months away, Green Bay has time to make amends. Made clear from Adams’ words, the Packers must do so.
