Aaron Rodgers highly unlikely to play for Packers again, ESPN reporter tells Broncos Country Tonight
3 min read
But ESPN Packers’ reporter Rob Demovsky tells Ryan Edwards and Ben Allbright that it’s far less clear how the scenario plays out and what Rodgers is doing next season.
ESPN Packers’ reporter Rob Demovsky told Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright on Monday’s show that he said May 1 there was a “5% chance” Aaron Rodgers plays for the Packers again, and he hasn’t seen anything since to change that percentage.
“I think he’s dug in, and at this point, and I’m not sure there is anything [the Packers] can do to fix that short of blowing up the front office, which they’re not going to do,” Demovsky said.
And the long-time Packers reporter noted that to understand that is to also understand Rodgers, who he acknowledged is “super smart” but that intelligence sometimes is to his detriment.
“He may be the smartest guy in the room but sometimes guys like that forget where they stand,” Demovsky said, adding that even the QB of the team has a boss and still and still answers to him/her ultimately.
And although Rodgers has gotten his way several times with the Packers – a new GM, a new head coach from the Niners/Rams coaching tree, he hasn’t been satisfied.
“So at what point is enough enough for him?” Demovsky asked, adding that he’s not sure from a personality standpoint, there’s ever going to be enough for Rodgers, even if he has earned the right to demand more because of his success. “Has earned that right? Maybe. But I think ultimately it’s prevented him from fully achieving greatness.”
How this actually plays out, though, beyond Rodgers not playing for the Packers in 2021, is anyone’s guess. Do the Packers force him to retire? Do they give up and trade him somewhere before training camp? No one knows for sure, says Demovsky, but he did note that Jordan Love has been taking ALL the reps with the 1s in OTAs so far.
Before minicamp practice begins at the top of the hour, a quick look at where things stand with Aaron Rodgers and what to watch for with Jordan Love and the WRs from this morning’s @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/BI0fDK6mrb
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) June 8, 2021
“I strongly believe Rodgers won’t play here again, but I don’t know what the end game is – whether it’s eventually giving in and trading him or just saying ‘you know what, if you don’t want to play for us, you’re not playing, and oh by the way, you owe us 30 million bucks in unearned signing bonus money we’ve paid you.’”
Demovsky even suggested that Rodgers could decide to pull a “Kramer” and just choose to be a nuisance until the Packers trade him.
“Could you see Rodgers in meetings when they’re trying to break down film, and he’s going up behind people and giving them wet willies?” Demovsky joked…sort of.
But the ESPN reporter did offer what he would do if he were in the Packers’ front office. He would wait until next spring before the Draft to trade Rodgers because he would assume the first-round draft pick number then would be much better. If they trade Rodgers now – to the Broncos or whichever team right now – it’s likely the team wins 10+ games and ends up picking somewhere in the 20s. Without Rodgers this season, one of those likely trade partners is probably picking in the top 10 again and that would be a much better number to deal.
“Not that anybody cares what I would do, but I would make him sit out this year,” Demovsky added.
