The person most familiar with the situation in which Aaron Rodgers now finds himself, Brett Favre said his former successor was surprised the Packers traded up for Jordan Love in Round 1. Favre also expects Rodgers to finish his career with another team.
Rodgers has four years remaining on his Packers contract, one agreed to in 2018, and has said on multiple occasions he would like to play into his 40s. The two-time MVP will turn 37 in December.
“I’m not going to talk about all that we talked about, but he was … let’s just say surprised that they went in that direction,” Favre said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Podcast (via ESPN.com). “… I think he’ll play somewhere else.
“My gut tells me no,” Favre said of Rodgers finishing his career in Green Bay. “I don’t know this for certain, but I guarantee you, it’s got the wheels turning in Aaron’s mind. If that’s the case, then that means there’s a chip on his shoulder toward the organization that otherwise was not there. All he needs is a reason other than this reason to expedite that.”
GM Brian Gutekunst, who was with the Packers as a scout when predecessor Ted Thompson drafted a falling Rodgers at No. 24 overall in 2005, determined Love’s long-term potential was more valuable than picking a player who could help the 2020 Packers, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com notes.
Gutekunst did not expect Love to fall into the mid-20s and told NBC Sports’ Peter King the Packers had him rated too highly on their board to pass. The Packers had “significant intel” a team with an early-second-round pick was targeting Love, per King. While that may have been the case, no team appeared interested in taking Love late in Round 1.
As a result of this and some surprising choices as the draft progressed, the Packers have the same wide receiver depth chart — excluding UDFAs — they did coming into the virtual event. Rodgers and some other members of the Packers organization were “enamored” with LSU wide receiver Justin Jefferson, per Demovsky. Jefferson ended up going to the Vikings at No. 22. And the Packers stunned most by exiting a stacked receiver draft without selecting one.
Gutekunst told King the Packers targeted two receivers in Round 2 and made attempts to trade up with several teams. After both were picked, they ended up selecting running back A.J. Dillon at No. 62. Tee Higgins (Bengals), Michael Pittman Jr. (Colts), Laviska Shenault (Jaguars), K.J. Hamler (Broncos), Chase Claypool (Steelers), Van Jefferson (Rams) and Denzel Mims (Jets) went off the board between Nos. 33 and 59.
The Packers received historically poor production from their pass-catcher group last season. For the first time since 1977, Green Bay had just one player (Davante Adams) record more than 500 receiving yards (excluding the 1982 strike-shortened season).
“They don’t draft any weapons — not just in the first round but any weapons that can help immediately, to my knowledge. And that just sends a disrespectful message to Aaron Rodgers,” Favre said. “He has every right to be disappointed if he is.”
Favre is 1000% right. I’d take Favre any day as my Qb ! Always was fun to watch the gunslinger!
Check Rodgers poor throw percentage and off target percentage in 2019. You will be surprised where he was in those categories…among others.
his o-line was collapsing very often.
They had Bakhtiari, Linsley, Baluga, and taylor on second contracts. If what you say is true then they are in trouble no matter what.
Packers have a top 5 or 6 line in the NFL depending on who you follow. WTF are you talking about?
*Dongslinger
enricopallazzo,
Your a dbag!
24,
Who cares has he not won a super bowl ! Was he not 13 and 3 last year!
The reason fans should care is his numbers were quite pedestrian in those areas when previously he was always among the top passers. He was missing targets that use to be considered routine/automatic throws for him.
Don’t get me wrong, even if he continues putting up lesser numbers like last season he’s still a top 10 QB in the league. He’s just not going to get consideration as an elite QB like in the past
Also Farve is exaggerating the Rodgers is never given weapons. Devante Adams, Randall Cobb, Aaron Jones, Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook, Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson, JeMichael Finley, Ty Montgomery, Jamaal Williams, MVS, ESB and Sternberger all come to mind as players who were either drafted or signed to bolster our offense.
Only 2 of those guys are #1 receivers.
You literally just name spooged anyone on their roster over the last couple years, to name some as weapons is laughable. Bennett? ESB and MVS are both later round draft picks that hardly qualify just yet. Montgomery was a WR who they converted to RB. And if you look at most of those names, any of them that amounted to anything, was in his early career, what have they done for him lately?
Charles Johnson-7th round
Kevin Dorsey-7th
Jared Abbrederis-5th
Jeff Janis-7th
Kennard Backman-7th
Trevor Davis-5th
Deangelo Yancey-5th
Malachi Dupre-7th
J’Mon Moore-4th
MVS-5th
ESB-6th
Sternberger-3rd
Rodgers to NE lol I wish
case7187,
Dreaming with your eyes open.
Uh huh.
We just going to ignore Valdez Scantling had a 47% catch rate of passes thrown his way? Doubt all those throws were poor or off target.
St Brown saw 36 targets, kumerow saw 21 targets, Valdez Scantling saw 56 targets, Lazard had 52 targets, Graham had 60…..adams had 127.
Problem isn’t Rogers. Wonder why Adams has at least double the amount of targets? It’s cause he was the only one who could get open and create separation on plays.
A QB like Rogers throws bad passes and off target because the target is so small due to receivers not getting space between defenders.
Unfortunately there isn’t a statistic to show how well receivers create their own space from defenders. How many plays they got themselves open or created wider throwing windows for QBs.
Rogers isn’t the issue. Green Bay should of fortified the defense or got Rogers some help. Really did neither trading up for Love.
Watching almost every throw he makes during the season, he is a big part of the problem. Not having better WR’s is a factor, but other QB’s made/make it work.
If you can stomach it, watch his 1st half in Detroit at the end of the year. He was so off overthrowing most throws it was shocking.
That’s not the main reason why Adams had so many targets. This offense has historically produced an extremely high percentage of targets for the number 1 receiver.
That’s not by accident
They fortified their D by getting a 247 pound RB who can pound on 3rd/4th and short. That will keep the defense off the field as well as stack the box keeping the cover 2 off the field also helping open the receivers up. Also, Rodgers has guys open on the short (quick) throws but would rather hold up and get the big play causing holding to put them in 2nd/3rd and long. Time to quit with the flashy draw them offside or with 12 men on the field and get back to pounding football like when we had Lacy before he became Cheeseburger Eddie. Not disappointed with this draft at all as a Packer fan.
I get why the packers drafted Love. If you think a franchise QB is available in the later part of the 1st round, you grab him, even if you have a HOF QB still on the roster. But the packers are clearly playing for 2022 and beyond. They needed front 7 help and help at the skill positions and quite frankly did very little to address it. They drafted 2 players with their highest picks that will be back ups in 2020 and 2021, and possibly 2022 if they don’t trade or release Aaron Rodgers.
This sends a message to everyone on the roster, the packers FO and coaching staff want to reset the roster in a manner they want. Not with the current players that turned in a 13-3 season.
All packers fans who think Rodgers needs to be replaced because of his accuracy or decision making abilities, wait until you see Love. There will be a huge learning curve and nothing is guaranteed. He may end up being a bust. Don’t expect him to walk in and replicate Rodgers. Or Farve for that matter. Packers fans have been spoiled by legendary QBs for more than 2 decades now.
It’s almost an exact repeat of when the Packers drafted Rodgers while Favre was going strong in his mid/late 30s.
There’s typically a huge learning curve for all rookies. That includes WR. In a year with altered offseason programs, the thought that they could get anyone who would be a weapon this year is naive. Development of current assets is more likely as they hit year 2 in the system.
Naive, huh? D.K. Metcalf? Terry McLaurin? Deebo Samuel? A.J. Brown? Maybe it was naive 10 years ago, maybe even 5 years ago, but the pro game and college game are much closer now than they were in the past. It’s a whole lot more common for rookie WR to succeed in today’s NFL.
Marquise Brown, N’keal Harry, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Andy Isabella, Perris Campbell… see I can do it too lol
Aaron Rodgers would take the Titans or Vikings over the top and make them a real threat.
Chiefs fan here telling you your right. The Titans were 1 game away from SB 54. Thats with 1 player carrying the load. Titans are legit.
Simmons ,
No one wants advice from a idiot Dolphins fan !
Green Bay botched this draft. They should’ve drafted a WR and tailored the offense to their star QB. Instead, they drafted a QB as part of what I assume is yet another coach’s plan to show he can make that round wheel better.
It’s funny how some coaches spend their careers looking for a franchise signal caller, and others can’t wait to push the one they have out.
This whole Draft feels like a GM & Coach saying it’s our system, our team, we will win how we want to win you have no input and we could care less if you are here.
CTE is real. It makes you say stupid things. And expose yourself.
This is ridiculous! My top 5 QB’s of all time:
1. Aaron Rogers
2. Kenny Stabler
3. Joe Montana
4. Sammy Baugh
5. Phil Simms
Rodgers isnt even the 2nd best active player. maybe not even the 3rd.
Brees, Peyton Manning, Brady? What is your list?
Rodgers /Raiders match made in heaven
2021
I like the part about Rodgers brain operating on wheels. When did he undergo the medical procedure to get that upgrade?
There was a draft plan? What was it? Pick a bunch of players we don’t need and will end up being busts and getting a bunch of people fired in a few years? Great strategy.
ive never been in the boat of thinking teams need to cater to their QBs, but at some point it gets absurd. drafting a QB instead of a WR in round one, then not even getting one later in the draft. ive always thought Rodgers was a tad overrated, but you cant deny that he cant be a very good QB when given the chance. seems GM doesnt want to help him. they hire mediocre coaches and dont provide any weapons. what can he do?
Guess you don’t believe a single word from the Packers GM when he said
1. that they had targeted Jefferson the wide receiver but he was picked 4 picks earlier and was gone when GB was on the clock.
2. they had intel that a couple of other teams were targeting Love in the second round ahead of where the Packers pick.
At 37, does Rogers, regardless of his wanting to play into his 40’s, expect the Packers to ignore drafting the “next’ QB in line just to cater to his “intentions”? And when he leaves, and the Packers are not prepared with another guy at the QB position, do the Packers become irrelevant at that position for years to come but can say that they stuck with Rogers and his plan?
2 sides to the coin, and Rogers seems to want to be in charge of personnel decisions….team doesn’t work that way!
They should’ve either taken a WR with their first pick or traded back to a point they felt comfortable still getting a guy they liked.
There’s nothing wrong with taking a QB of the future. What you can’t do is do it at the expense of not trying to push the playoff team you have over the hump when you have an all-pro already under center.
I also don’t think Love is all that great, but that’s just my opinion.
1. then they should have traded up or down to get a WR of literally gotten ANY SINGLE WR in ANY ROUND. their failure was not getting a round one WR as much as not getting even one.
2. Love is terrible and their intel was probably wrong. and regardless they could have waited to get Rodgers’s replacement until a later round and used their 1st to get something that can help a very good team ASAP.
@dark. You were doing ok until you suggested LaFleur was a mediocre coaching hire. How many rookie head coaches go 13-3?
having one of the best qb? if jeff mc was hired they would have gone all the way.
a lot of reasons, but mainly because he was considered to be of the McVay coaching tree, and McVay was 100% hype himself. watch LeFleur fall of similarly this year.
Brett Favre went 13-3 with he Packers and lost vs the Giants who went onto the SB. Aaron Rodgers took over the next season.
“I don’t know this for certain, but I guarantee you….” Hahahaha what!?
My odds for next year- They can amicably renegotiate (Pack/ Rodgers) where everyone is happy in the end; (Aaron Green Bay new team cap # )
Rodgers will embrace Love this year and probably go a little extra outta his way to show him the ropes 2020- In the end I dont think it gets ugly, Green Bay wants that ultimate draft comp package back and wants AR in full swing 2020- In return Aarons gonna want say in where he goes and looks like a good guy, I think he’d love SF or LV
SF- 30%
Vegas-25%
Field-25%
Pack 20%
Rogers sucked as my fantasy QB last year so I’m glad they kicked dirt in his face.
Hoosier ,
Clearly you didn’t Draft well enough to win.