Peyton Manning Reacts to Aaron Rodgers Possibly Not Playing Football in 2021

Peyton Manning has more thoughts on Aaron Rodgers' situation with the Green Bay Packers. The legendary NFL quarterback appeared on the MLB Network ahead of the 2021 Home Run Derby on Monday and was asked what Rodgers will do when the 2021 season begins. It's possible that Rodgers could not play or request a trade to a team like the Denver Broncos.

"Great question. Obviously, it's the question of the summer here in Denver," Manning said, per NFL.com. "Obviously, I hope he plays somewhere this year. The fact that Aaron Rodgers might not play this year, I can't fathom it. He's too good of a player. Too fun to watch for the fans. I personally hope it's in Green Bay. That's what I see him as. I hope they can kinda make amends and work [it] out. That team is so close, if he were to leave there it'd be a major change, obviously, for them.

"My gut is he's not coming to Denver. My gut is Denver's gonna have Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater be their quarterback. At this point, you gotta kinda know what your plan is, you can't be having a new quarterback three weeks before the season." Manning knows all about learning a new system. The 45-year-old was a member of the Indianapolis Colts from 1998-2011 he then moved on to the Denver Broncos in 2012 and was there for four seasons. Manning won two Super Bowls with both the Colts and Broncos, but when he joined the Broncos in 2012, it was in March of that year, giving enough time to get acclimated with a new offensive system. What manning had to say bout Rodgers is similar to what he said back in May to TMZ.

"When I think of Aaron, I think of him as a Green Bay Packer," Manning said. "Hopefully, they can get it worked out." The Packers have stated they are not trading Rodgers, meaning he will play with the Packers or hold out of training camp to start the year. Over the weekend, Rodgers talked about his plans for the 2021 season.

"Well, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of this week," Rodgers said to NBC Sports. "And then I'm gonna get back to working out and figure things out in a couple weeks." The Packers reported to training camp in two weeks, and Rodgers hasn't indicated if he'll be there or not. The three-time MVP didn't attend any offseason workouts, including the team's mandatory minicamp in June.