Rodgers hopeful for contract extension as Packers retool

An off-season of change for the Green Bay Packers has been met with occasional displeasure by quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

At the Super Bowl, Rodgers called it “interesting” that the Packers replaced quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt “without consulting me.” Also that week, he spoke of the possibility he might have to finish his career elsewhere, like predecessor Brett Favre.

In the wake of the Packers’ decision to release his close friend Jordy Nelson on March 13, Rodgers added “it’s pretty clear that players play and coaches coach and personnel people make decisions (and) that’s the way they want it.”

Rodgers took a more measured tone with reporters on Tuesday at Lambeau Field. On the first day of Green Bay’s off-season program, Yahoo! Sports reported that sources close to Rodgers say the quarterback had grown “frustrated” by the team making such big moves without consulting him, and that the lack of input could factor into negotiations toward a contract extension.

“I know my role, and that’s to play quarterback the best that I can,” Rodgers said. “The team is going to try to put the right guys in place, the right coaches in place, the right players in place. You just have to trust the process. This process works, and it has worked for (coach) Mike (McCarthy) for a number of years. Obviously, that’s why he’s still here in his 13th season. We’ve had a lot of success here, and you’ve got to trust the process.”

The release of Nelson was especially hard on Rodgers. Nelson was a second-round draft pick in 2008, the same year Rodgers ascended into the starting role. They connected on 65 touchdown passes, the most by a quarterbackreceiver duo in franchise history. Their on-field connection was born from an off-the-field bond.

“This is a professional environment, but as humans we have personal connections to people,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, he was one of my closest friends in the locker room for a number of years. We played together for a long time and talked about really finishing his career here and together. The disappointment is when you get close to your teammates, and they’re not here anymore - and especially when they’re not here, they’re playing somewhere else. But the organization is making decisions that they feel like are in best interest for our team and you’ve got to trust the process.”