Aaron Rodgers finally breaks his silence on the issues he has with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter for Kenny Mayne’s final show and said the reason he’s frustrated with the Packers has to do with an organizational philosophy he believes that has gone south. When the Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love in the first round last year, Rodgers admitted things changed a great deal but noted he doesn’t have a problem with Love.
“With my situation, look it’s never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan,” Rodgers told Mayne. “I love Jordan; he’s a great kid. [We’ve had] a lot of fun to work together. Love the coaching staff, love my teammates, love the fan base in Green Bay. An incredible 16 years. It’s just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way.”
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Rodgers went on to say that when he won the MVP last season and led the Packers to a 13-3 record and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year, he changed the Packers’ plans to possibly trade him. He also mentioned the people that have made the Packers one of the recognizable franchises in all of sports.
“A lot of this was put in motion last year, and the wrench was just kind of thrown into it when I won MVP and played the way I played last year,” Rodgers said. “This is just kind of, I think, a spill-out of all that. But it is about the people, and that’s the most important thing. Green Bay has always been about the people — from Curly Lambeau being owner and founder to the ’60s with [Vince] Lombardi and Bart Starr and all those incredible names to the ’90s teams with coach [Mike] Holmgren and Favrey [Brett Favre] and the Minister of Defense [Reggie White] to the run that we’ve been on.
In April, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Rodgers wasn’t going to return to the Packers as he has become disgruntled with the organization. During the interview, Rodgers praised almost everyone with the Packers except for the front office and general manager Brian Gutekunst.
“I think sometimes people forget what really makes an organization,” Rodgers said Monday. “History is important, legacy of so many people who’ve come before you. But the people, that’s the most important thing. People make an organization, people make a business and sometimes that gets forgotten. Culture is built brick by brick, the foundation of it by the people, not by the organization, not by the building, not by the corporation. It’s built by the people.” The Packers have stated they are not trading Rodgers and are working to get him back. The team began organized team activities on Monday, and Rodgers was not in attendance.
