Rodgers declined Packers' big deal
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers declined a two-year contract extension in the off-season that would have made him the NFL'S highest paid player, ESPN reported Tuesday.
Rodgers kept his distance from the Packers throughout the off-season, never touching down in Green Bay or entering the team facility since the season ended in a disappointing playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
ESPN reported the deal would have tied Rodgers to Green Bay for five more years and made him the “highest paid player and quarterback” in the NFL.
The nine-time Pro Bowl selection is not on good terms with the Packers front office or individual decision-makers in the personnel department.
Rodgers, 37, took issue with multiple instances of what he considers failed communication from the team, including trading up in the 2020 draft to select quarterback Jordan Love in the first round.
But Rodgers said in May that “it's never been about the draft pick.”
“I love Jordan; he's a great kid,” he told ESPN. “(It is) 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.”
The Packers open training camp next week but team president Mark Murphy said in a question-and-answer session last week he had no new information on the Rodgers situation.
“I would just say there's nothing new to update on the issue that you raised,” Murphy said.
Rodgers won his third most valuable player award in 2020 after leading the NFL and setting franchise records for both completion percentage (70.7) and touchdown passes (48).