The truth is AR has chosen to destroy the careers of Mark Murphy and Gutey for the sin of drafting Jordan Love and he is intent on destroying the Pack's championship prospects along the way. Rodgers has made it very personal. And I think we all know what that means when it involves Rodgers. Ask his parents or brother or .......

"First and foremost is that Murphy needs to stop. He needs to stop writing Rodgers’ name and he needs to stop saying his name as well. "

IMO Mark Murphy needs to go back and in history a little ways and see what made Bob Harlon so successful. Harlon hired Ron Wolf and GOT OUT OF THE WAY! When Murphy was first hired he brought in Thompson and for a LONG time I had issues with Ted. I still believe Ted left a SB title or two on the doorstep from not being aggressive in FA, but Ted was a hell of a good GM for a long time. The issue was Ted stayed too long and THAT was ON Murphy.

Instead of hiring a new GM in 2015 or 2016 (especially after the 2015 draft!), Murphy stuck with Ted, created the "Silos", and has tried to be a some kind of version of "The Boss". Murphy needs to just stay out of the way of ANYTHING that has to do with the Players and leave that to the GM. Personally I think Gute has done a pretty F***ing good job. No GM is going to make everybody happy, there will always been those few who find something wrong. But all in all the Packers are a HELL of a lot better team in 2021 than they were in 2018 when Gute took over.

When Rodgers spoke on SportsCenter with Kenny M he talked some in the organization forgot about the people. I think that was directed at Murphy more so than Gute. When MLF was hired Murphy told Rodgers "Not to be the problem". From THAT point, right there, Rodgers put Murphy on his list. The list where Rodgers wants to with all his being, make a fool out of you, make you regret what you say.

Maybe I'm way off, but Murphy needs to let the GM RUN the Football side, and Murphy needs to just stick with the business side. At this point I'm so sick and tired of this. I'd love Rodgers to play out his contract, win another SB or two, and hopefully ride off in the sunset ONLY playing for the Packers.

IMO Mark Murphy NEEDS to STOP being the Problem!

As a longtime fan, I just want this to be done. I want to see AR win another super bowl or two and retire a Packer. However, if the relationship is damaged beyond repair, the front office needs to learn from this and go forward with Jordan love. I watched during the seventies , eighties and early nineties as the Packers were hideous year after year. Its time to get back to football and put the drama on ice. Both sides need to fix this or go their separate ways.

Pro sports is a big ego game. Successful organizations need to find a balance between owner, manager, coach and players. The Packers have lost that balance or maybe it never existed. Mark Murphy loves the spotlight and can't keep his mouth shut. I still remember him making the hiring of Lafleur a story about "the Mark Murphy experience". Aaron Rodgers on the other hand talks philosophically about the universe, love and trust as long as he is the center of said universe. All his mind games, passive aggressive bullshit and press manipulation tell a truer story of the man.

As they said in the movie Highlander - there can only be one. Either Murphy or Rodgers will need to exit in order for this team to get to a healthy place. At this point, Murphy is making it very difficult.

As mentioned in the first part of this article, I am not sure why the Packers need to offer Rodgers a contract!

He already is under contract for a few more years!

A lot of us think we know what the problem is with Rodgers and the FO but there has to be more to it than we realize.

I am fed up and disappointed with this whole saga and do want it to end soon. It would be great if Rodgers stays as this is our best shot at a SB but if he is traded, the way things are looking, that could be a good thing as well.

As far as getting a better deal next year, since there will be more suitors, remember that Rodgers will be another year older as well.

Within the context of something of this magnitude, I'm going with the idea both parties have already done so.

They've just decided to deny the motion requesting a change of venue to the court of public opinion.

Not that it's made any difference.

I think we should just let the process happen. The only reason we're even talking about this right now is Adam Schefter got a hold of it (which is his job, nothing against him) but IMO we're not entitled to an explanation from anyone outside of what's been given. Just let the process be what it is and they'll work it out one way or the other. They don't need to be airing this out in public while it's ongoing. What Murphy said was silly, but he still didn't say anything remotely detailed.

As for Rodgers' deal, I'm not so sure any of this is about the money, or at least a large part of it. If he returns, he's getting an extension, right? Likely a big one. As Andrew Brandt said, if it was about that, this would be over. So what is it then? That's what we don't know. And don't get me wrong, I would love to know right now, I am so sick of all this, but at the end of the day, I don't see much up side to saying anything publicly from their perspective. I'm willing to wait until this is done. Then we'll get some version of what's been going on.

As for when to theoretically trade Rodgers, it's interesting because if they know it's over, they probably would have traded him by now, right? Unless they're all in on Jordan Love in 2021, they're going to need another quarterback who can at least play this year, and at a decent level. The Darek Carr's of the world. Guys they think can still give this team that's gone 13-3 2 years in a row a better chance. That tells me things are still up in the air. Hey, maybe they still do it later, or maybe they wait until next offseason.

I honestly don't think it's going to come to that though. This has been going on all offseason, and the Packers responded by: Moving tons of cap off 2021 to 2022 which they wouldn't need to do as much of if Rodgers was to be traded, and let promising back-up Tim Boyle who lit up camp last year go to the Lions, and replacing him with Blake Bortles. That just doesn't sound like a team that's expecting to trade their franchise quarterback.

Good article, and doubt we will ever hear the whole story until Rodgers leaves or retires.
I do take issue with saying Rodgers is best QB in Green Bay's history. Best passer...yes, but not QB.

Oh, Good Lord...

The Packers and Rodgers most certainly DON'T need to "show their hands." That's a joke - as if we had some right to know. And as if our knowing would somehow help.

The Packers and Rodgers just need to fix this. That is all.

lol

Well said. The need for transparency has become critical. The media continues to bombard both the Packers and Rodgers.

I think the comments about people that Rodgers made are a link to the issue. When AR signed the last contract he thought his career would end in GB. Gute drafted Love because he thought Rodgers had back-to-back subpar seasons (for Rodgers) and saw an opportunity to get a young QB. When you couple the lack of communication with the draft pick, I think Gute sent a clear signal he thought Rodgers was on the decline. Then Rodgers wins the MVP. But Packers have what they hope is their next QB so AR's "finishing his career in GB" is no longer a possibility.

So now Rodgers sees the future and does not like it. He wants to control the rest of his career in GB or elsewhere. That is what I believe the issue is. Does he play in 2021 for Packers knowing he is out in 2022 or force his way to a team that will be committed to him for possibly three years (depending on his play)? The Packers have said many times they want him for 2021 and "beyond". But has beyond ever been defined? When someone is vague it typically means they have another plan.

So now both sides have a dilemma. Do the Packers go with Love, who has arm talent but is very green. Their schedule is tough and DCs will have plenty of exotic blitz packages ready. This team is ready to win now. If Love struggles, I see problems in the locker room for MLF (the man I feel most sorry for). And your point about FAs in well-taken. Will they look at how this plays out and wonder if GB is really a worthwhile place to play?

Will somebody speak up about the issues or will James Jones tell us after he brokers a truce?

Lots of Denial and Blame with some Bargaining. He doesn’t want to be here…..or else he’d be here.

The silence. The holding of positions and tongues. Both point to a deal in process. So do many other recent events.

Bob Harlan was the best. I think Mark Murphy might be right next to him. Sure, he’s a former Linebacker. He’s going to to have some things to say. We currently have one of the most highly regarded personnel minds in the NFL in Gutekunst, and one of the NFL’s winningest HCs in history in LeFleur. Murphy made those calls.

I think Mark Murphy should get a little more support around here. The job is not done, that of winning another Super Bowl, but I do think they are trying their best, and he generally stays out of Gutekunst’s way.

If a deal was not in process, don't you think the positions of both sides wouldn't already be firmly established?

NOTHING is making sense to EVERYBODY. Every single position in this thread has bewilderment still attached to the cause of AR's given position through intermediaries that he will not play again for the Packers.

At what point are people willing to look elsewhere, if it is not the money, the length of contract, the power to insert himself in personnel matters, nor how close we might be with the build out of the team to challenge for the Super Bowl?

I've mentioned this numerous times. HE & HIS FUTURE WIFE DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN GREEN BAY for half the year. He wants to play elsewhere, or nowhere. He's willing to sit out if need be. He can afford that. This got personal, too, along the way. Murphy's recent comments only bolster that notion, even though I think his words have not inflicted harm. I think they've merely established that the chasm is real. Maybe some preparation being laid out for the fan base. A President/CEO of a team this popular around the world, with a player this high profile might actually want to do that. Does that not make sense? Do the Packers look in any way like they are preparing for Aaron Rodgers' return?

Look at how many fans here are unwilling to acknowledge this simple, most likely explanation, as a possibility.

I offered this as a possibility more than 1 month ago, and it sure looks like the only reasonable explanation that still holds water.

But, do go on vilifying the Front Office of the Green Bay Packers, and everyone else who might offer a reasoned explanation of what might be occurring without any knowledge of what is actually taking place.

We're all here left to guess, aren't we?

Shouldn't Aaron Rodgers be allowed to make a lifestyle change? He's asked a girl to marry him. They probably want to build a family. Her family resides in Boulder, Colorado. They've visited there together many times.

Given this, wouldn't a trade to the Broncos make sense? Do you think maybe the Packers would accommodate him if this were the case? If he simply refused to come back to play for us? It would be about as symbiotic as it gets, really, and Denver is a perfect trading partner.

Now, if the trade is real, and Davante Adams, who didn't participate in team sessions during Mandatory Minicamp, is included in such a deal, wouldn't that take time? One of the biggest trades in the history of the NFL? It appears we are smack dab in the middle of that timeline.

Rodgers knew the Packers were unlikely to follow through with his contract to the end of its cycle. We don't know what they've all discussed together. We don't know if a trade is still in the works - of if a trade ever was in the works. I happen to think the trade pieces are all in place, and that it will be announced before TC starts. We don't know if there are any options for his return. We don't know what his wishes are. People here are propping up words said in public prior to his engagement as gospel as to his current stance. Sorry, to me, seems unlikely.

Life changes. Even for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. We are not owed an explanation at this time. Say what you might, but I see Murphy's comments on this having "divided the fan base," and that he's a "complicated fella" as PR prep for what is about to take place.

Let's let it play out.

To me, it's real simple. Favre caused the problem by retiring and unretiring and retiring and unretiring. Rodgers did not.
If Murphy told AR "don't be the problem" and/or things like that, then he should go. Players have egos and its managements job to deal with that. Murphy (it seems) did not do that successfully.

As fans, we care about winning. We don't even want to hear Murphy's name. If Murphy got in the way of winning by dis'sing AR, then he has to go. It seems like his ego is too big for this job. Yes, AR is a worker and in an ideal world, maybe the worker doesn't get a real say in management decisions. But that is just not how it works. Managements job is to keep players happy and performing.

So we are all Packer fans. But it seems like this is a management centric organization - that's why Ted stayed a little too long and McCarthy stayed much too long. Just an ol' boys club in a small town. That's what the board should change.

Tired of these clickbait, "let's trot out the fan angst for clicks" articles.

I'd much rather be hearing about third-string ILBs or OLs with an outside shot at making the roster, or a dissection of minicamp and OTA info than more of this "nothing has changed, but come vent the same old shit" articles.

Click bait

It really appears no matter the outcome of this ordeal, there will be really no true winner! Time has passed in both cases of management and player to have much respect left for either! In all respects to both parties they are acting like school children in a fight, neither liking much of each other or will a true winner end up winning! However Rodgers to me has become a true jerk in his years on this team, has taken a while, but in the long run he is a player and not management. He will be long gone, Packers will be here and they have a future to protect.

This dispute isn't about money, although The Diva would like more. His insurance company commercial pal Mahomes makes more.

The core here is far more cynical: Rodgers knows the Packers have a legit shot this year and it's the best time to make a power play. He wants to control who goes and stays. Not the front office or the coach. Him.

If the Packers give in to this, how far does it go? No player, no matter how good, has the right to tell the people who pay them(handsomely) what to do. Imagine your own employment: "Boss, I've done pretty well, now I want management and you can piss off"

THAT's the core of the issue. I have a pretty good idea what your boss would say and so should the Packers.

The Jordan Love era, good or bad, should begin and Rodgers can....well, you know....something about a rolling doughnut.

What a big bowl of spaghetti mess this is! The train has to come into the station at some point. This situation also
reminds me of the Dr. Suess story The Zaxs. I agree and just want someone to make a move on this and be done with it. We reap what we sow. Go Pack GO!

Neither side will ever show their hand; that is a fantasy. At most each side will show some self-serving version of their hand. I've been involved in a few shit shows that made the news. Some jokers even wrote a book about one of them. I don't agree with hardly anything in the book. I don't even see things the same way as people I was working shoulder-to-shoulder with - that is just life. We all bring a different perspective to the table. Our perspective is always bent by our self-interest and self-image. Always. I consider myself to be a brutally honest and self-aware person, and I still know this is true for everyone, even me. Imagine the distortions created by a person with a huge ego and minimal self-awareness. They might think they were the greatest businessman on earth, or that they won an election that they lost by over 7 million votes. The possibilities are staggering. And the "truth" of my shit show, and any other shit show, will be judged by people who read a few articles of about the same length as this one. And they will all think that they have some idea of the truth of the matter. Colonel Nathan Jessup said, "Truth? You can't handle the truth." Well that entire scene is bullshit. This fictional person's point-of-view was delusional. Equally delusional is that any lawyer has ever baited any intelligent human being into that kind of candor. The problem isn't handling the truth, the problem is finding it.

As far as the details, I see nothing coming out before Rodgers clicks the mandatory fines after missing 5 days of camp or he shows up and some kind of response is either forced if he’s an issue or a compromise statement is agreed if he’s not.

The only things that would likely trigger anything before that are an announcement of a trade (I think very unlikely) or Rodgers issuing a statement saying he’s not reporting and/or retiring. Absent those, this rumbles on into camp and probably at least till fines kick in ( now mandatory under the CBA).

As to what Murphy said, I don’t think Murphy should say anything, but what he did say, while pointless was hardly news to anyone and probably fits Rodgers self image. The problem isn’t what he said but that it illustrates that he is the one in charge.

Gute isn’t TTs successor, Murphy is the self-appointed GM with Gute doing the work within his parameters. That should never have been permitted, but Murphy has had 20 years shaping the executive committee. The whole structure needs review. At this point Murphy is, in effect, king.

Mark Murphy is a disgrace. He disrespectfully dropped the late Ted Thompson‘s name to cover his own ass, as if Ted sanctions Murphy’s catastrophic handling of Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers wants control of his future with the Packers. Basically a guarantee that he will be their starting QB for at least the next few seasons. Normally this would be an easy fix, just give him a contract extension with a no trade clause.

However, the Packers spent a 1st and 4th round pick to draft Jordan Love. So what happens if the Packers now come out and announce that they have guaranteed Rodgers will be their starting QB for the next 3-5 seasons. How do they sell that to the fan base? How do they justify it to the Exec Board?

Rodgers wants to play in Green Bay and the Packers can't trade Love because it would be impossible for them to get a #1 pick in return for Love at this point.
Maybe they hope that Love looks good enough during the preseason that they will get a bite from another team that needs a QB. Maybe they trade Rodgers but that should have happened by now. Maybe Bortles is here to backup Rodgers after the Packers trade Love.

Bottom line, Rodgers saw what happened with Favre and he doesn't want the same to happen to him. if the Packers commit to Rodgers they've wasted a 1st round pick, if they commit to Love at this point they lose the league MVP and a solid chance at an SB run. That's why it's complicated, at least for Murphy.
Thanks, Since '61

The FO wants Rodgers to come back, win the SB for THEM and then kick his ass to the street or to the crappiest team needing a QB so he doesn't come back to bite them on their ass as quickly as Farve did, hence why a trade hasn't happened, yet.

Rodgers sees the plan and will have no part in it, so he is trying to blow it up, and the fans will see what they want to see and their allegiance will sway to one or the other when it becomes clear who was the problem.

I find it interesting that when Rodgers had those down seasons, though statistically he still played top 5 or so while having a team many claimed inferior after each season, less the coaching issues, they're now so quick to let Rodgers leave because of his openly to a point, acknowledging what some spoke about the FO not doing to make the TEAM better, and not ride the season solely on the play of one, Rodgers.

Rodgers is simply tired of the piggy-back where he is the back of the pig, and which I have spoken to for at least the last 8 years, but the FO wants one more piggy-back ride and to have the ability to say with either outcome, Rodgers is the one squealing away from GB.

The Packers are pretty honest and the Packers are not the side who want to break the contract.

Other than that, the sory about that nobody wants to go somewhere because of this or that its 100% BS. Always was. The guys go where they get the most money, maybe wehre they see a chance to win and got some playtime. Nothing else. There are no NFL team who treats his players more fair than the Packers.

Just so I have this straight, people are good here with Aaron Rodgers holding up the Packers organization in a "stick up" to get more money in order for him to return and lead us to and win a Super Bowl?

How insane does that sound?

I just don't think that is the case at all, and if it is, it is wrong.

It’s pretty obvious to those with eyes. It’s hard to move on to another team so Rodgers would rather do it now at 37 then next year at 38. Or get guaranteed in Green Bay. This isn’t complicated at all. I’d do exactly what he’s doing… also blowing up the front office secret master plan to move on from Rodgers ( that I knew, you knew, everyone knew) is just icing on the cake. Any manager at Taco Bell could of seen this coming but they where too busy slapping each other’s backs and congratulating themselves on love. All year last year I knew this was coming, surprised it took this long. While I listened to Nagler say what a great problem we had in both quarterbacks on the roster. I’m like really? Really? Of course I used to listen to him say how great our receivers were also. This site used to be logical, insightful… not sure when it just became entertainment, click bait. I now put it at pro football talk level. I just come to see every once in a while cause I can’t not look at the train wreck.

Well by now, editors know that anything with "Rodgers" in the title is the ultimate click bait - drawing subscribers to articles - like smelts to a light. And I admit that I'm part of the school - not because of anything I write will matter in the end - but because all of this has been an unexpected bit of extra off-season entertainment (courtesy of Rodgers and the media)). So I try to keep this entire "public acting-out" in perspective - especially given the backdrop that the world is still recovering from one of deadliest pandemics in history.

Love the "smelt to a light" reference. A_P, you are a true Packer Fan!

See the below link for an interesting article about the Murphy - Rodgers feud. The author's comments mirror many of those above. However, where I think he gets it wrong is that the Packers are a "complicated organization". They are not owned by an individual or investor group focused solely on building a team for a SB run. They are what I would characterize as a publicly owned football entertainment enterprise run by a board through a hired CEO (Murphy). To sustain it, Murphy is looking for a combination of athletic talent, stability (financial and locker room), and marketability (keeping the fans happy and Lambeau filled). Rodgers, being a "complicated fella", has become "the problem" that Murphy would like to be done with, but without alienating the stockholders/fans who generate the revenue. Murphy's comments appear to be a double-edged attempt to piss Rodgers off, ensuring that he won't return to the team, and at the same time rally the fan base around the Packers organization (himself) at the expense of Rodgers, so the Packers can move on without him going forward. So his negative comments about Rodgers seem intended and carefully crafted toward that end.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/aaron-rodgers-packers-showdown-gree...

I have never been a huge Murphy fan. He has overseen a solid front office and a financially stable organization (some of the largest cash reserves in the NFL), and very good marketing, branding and Lambeau field enhancements.

And I do not see any insults in his few comments about the Rodgers self induced drama.

My issue is his grating, hogging the microphone, jumping into the spotlight, on day to day football operations. He is one of the worst management types....a micromanager.

Who does Coach Matt report to? Sadly kinda Gutey, kinda MM, and even Ball in some decisions.

This management structure is very dysfunctional. TT set up solid silos. MM said he tore down the silos only to make himself Sgt. Silo. Instead of being President, he also involved himself in GM duties, as financial CFO, and in coaching decisions.

While Bob Harlan was comfortable letting Wolf and Holmgren be the public faces of the Pack, MM is intent he is going to be the face, and he is not very good at it.

Especially when a micromanager President is insisting he be the lead "negotiator" with a micromanager QB.

Cory’s absolutely right; we just don’t know what’s transpired behind closed doors. So it’s very hard to render any sort of judgment here.

It’s likely there is blame enough on both sides. They need to talk to EACH OTHER, and not chum the water in the press to cast blame on the other. The one thing I do know is that Murphy’s recent comments were totally unnecessary and show a huge lapse of judgment.

Do your jobs and get this solved! Then let’s win another Lombardi!

Aaron, POUND SAND ! Then take a seat on the bench next to Kampernic ON THE BENCH.

You have learned well from your predecessor on how to destroy the locker room and the fans.

Spit on the team like #4 did and we'll make sure you sit and ROT.

Seems like a long , long, Time since Rodgers wanted out. But since everyone here is just making up crap. Put yourself in his shoes. If you don't understand his silence. You won't agree with anything he tells you anyway. If he stays away, it's not about the money. If he comes back. It's because he isn't a quitter. Which is why everyone is pushing him. The other is he will announce his retirement. Which is being Forced. I believe he could file a unfair Labor practice. Especially after Murphy's Timed comments. And I believe Rodgers can use past practice to get out. Since Favre was traded. So if this turns into a legal battle. Silence is the best policy.

If a guy feels the necessity to pee on an electric fence, Dr Fauci and the CDC recommend wearing a condom as an insulator. And guys with a healthy stream - stand six-feet away.