If Aaron Rodgers liked a Tweet in the last two months, it’s been discussed. When he liked an Instagram post from Green Bay Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, it was a talking point for days. This is what happens when the league MVP goes off the grid, holds a grudge with his front office, and doesn’t show up to mandatory offseason workouts. But make no mistake, Rodgers is enjoying this attention to some extent and feeding into all the chaos.
Rodgers’ latest act sent many into a frenzy on Tuesday. As he prepares for “The Match,” a golf event featuring Rodgers teaming up with Bryson DeChambeau to take on Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson, the four joined forces to hype the July 6th event.
First off, Rodgers’ T-shirt is a perfect example of how you can silently troll someone.
This wasn’t an accident. Anyone who truly believes A-Rod randomly slipped on an “I’m Offended” shirt might as well walk around with the word “sucker” tattooed on their forehead. This was no accident. This was the league MVP shining some light on his witty side, his grudging side. And to be honest, it was well played — tip of the cap to the MVP.
During the discussion itself, Brady roasted Rodgers with a backhanded comment about Rodgers “going for it” while acting like he was talking to DeChambeau.
It’s a savvy move by Brady. Why not put Rodgers on the spot, knowing he will have to respond in some fashion.
No. 12 chose to say, “Well, I usually don’t have the option,” when Brady brought up Rodgers wanting to “go for it” more now than he has in the past. Again, no issues here with Rodgers saying this, and he’s doing an even better job of sly trolling. He’s already pissed at Brian Gutekunst and Mark Murphy, so why not rehash Matt LaFleur’s decision to kick a field goal on fourth down, losing by eight with less than five minutes left against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship.
Some of Rodgers’ teammates must be a tad annoyed by this after today, no?
They’re going to bat, getting interviewed after OTAs last week, saying all the right stuff. Davante Adams is set to buckle up and go to war for his quarterback, while others have stated the obvious: They want Rodgers back in Green Bay. Meanwhile, Rodgers is staying off the grid for the most part but chiming in amongst a group of Brady, Mickelson, and DeChambeau about a golf event he’s playing in on July 6th. What a great offseason to decide to partake in such a thing. This isn’t a coincidence.
These are open wounds between Rodgers and the front office. The clip above will pour salt right into all of them. You can try to ignore it. You can try to say it doesn’t bother you. But it bothers any and all Packers fans, and rightfully so.
The odd part is that Rodgers is clearly being sarcastic, but it sounds so genuine when he mentions not having responsibilities and not having to go anywhere this offseason. There’s a hypnotizing effect to his words, and it’s tricky as an onlooker not to fall for whatever the trap is.
For those fed up with Rodgers, it’s understandable. For those who just want a resolution one way or another, yes, we all do. But it’s hard not to be impressed with this incredible troll job.
And let’s not forget, Mark Murphy could choose to stay quiet and proceed with conversations behind the scenes, but he can’t keep his own foot out of his mouth. So for those in the “get rid of this diva Rodgers” camp, the Packers’ front office has certainly done its part to damage the relationship and then pile on with some boneheaded comments.
It was just three days ago that Murphy chuckled in a very cringe-worthy moment while saying he and Ted Thompson used to discuss how Rodgers is a “complicated fella.”
Who’s to say if those comments weren’t made three days ago that Rodgers doesn’t wear the “I’m Offended” shirt on Tuesday? The shirt is now timely, relatable, and a quiet way to say a lot about the situation. It fits Rodgers’ approach to all of this. It gives him another opportunity to continue to bask in this attention and rightfully point out that the Packers’ front office has slipped up multiple times throughout this mess.
Aaron Rodgers is a phenomenal quarterback. He won the league MVP last year for a reason: He’s one of the greatest ever to sling the pill. But he’s also great at playing to an audience, and he’s added an element of trolling to his resumé this offseason that has worked wonderfully for him so far.
