Back in the early stages of the offseason, the thought of the Green Bay Packers being 9-3 at the bye week with Aaron Rodgers still in the mix for MVP would have been considered Pollyannaish. Many took Rodgers at his word that he was on his way out after he voiced his displeasure with the Packers’ front office.
The vibes are all good for Green Bay heading into the much-needed bye week. They are in position again to be one of the top seeds in the NFC. It may just be possible that Brian Gutekunst and Aaron Rodgers are perfect for each other after all.
Green Bay absolutely would not be at 9-3 this year if not for a couple of moves made by Gutekunst and his staff.
De’Vondre Campbell was an afterthought, signing with the Packers late in the process this summer. Proven talent at inside linebacker was still lacking, so Green Bay took a flier on the veteran free agent.
Who could have guessed that Campbell would become one of the leaders of the defense, constantly swarming around the ball and consistently leading the team in tackles? The rest of the defense has fed off of his energy. It’s incredible to think he remained available for so long this offseason. He’s a true diamond-in-the-rough find by Gutekunst.
Rodgers made it clear that he wanted Randall Cobb back in the mix on the other side of the ball. One of the gripes from the future Hall Of Famer was Green Bay’s tendency to let longtime players go without even offering them deals. This offseason, Rodgers specifically mentioned names like Clay Matthews, Jordy Nelson, Charles Woodson, and Cobb. So Green Bay acquired Cobb from the Houston Texans, and he has turned into the reliable target he was the first time around for the Packers.
His numbers aren’t gaudy, but his presence is, and, hell, Cobb will still throw in the occasional big game too. Last week against the Los Angeles Rams, he put up four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an injury. He also has two different games with two touchdowns for Green Bay this year. Chalk that one up as a win for Rodgers.
It all leads to a more significant point.
Rodgers has put a spotlight on Gutekunst and his staff. The reigning MVP has repeatedly said that it’s not about him demanding moves to be made. It’s about having his voice heard and considered like other top quarterbacks (think Tom Brady in Tampa Bay). As a result, Rodgers has held Gutekunst more accountable in a sense while the general manager has still been pulling off one great transaction after another.
On Gutekunst’s end, he should be taking in the opinions of the quarterback who has spent his entire career with this franchise. Sure, he needs to level it out and not heed all the advice that may come his way from Rodgers, but finding the happy medium is critical to the relationship. No quarterback of Rodgers’ stature would be thrilled with constantly being left out of the loop on roster moves and the drafting of an eventual successor when they’ve devoted a Hall Of Fame career to the organization. Gutekunst has realized this, or at least it appears so. This is a perfect situation for Gutekunst and Rodgers.
The general manager is still going about his business, signing a guy like Rasul Douglas from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. Douglas has helped put a bow on the show twice this year for Green Bay. Gutekunst rightfully deserves praise for the moves he’s made. Getting Rodgers one of his guys in Cobb and even offering a deal to Odell Beckham Jr. when he became available have to appeal to the quarterback in green and gold. They were also the right moves that coincided with Rodgers’ sentiments. One thing supersedes all of it: winning.
Green Bay is 9-3. If those numbers were flipped, this thing likely would’ve turned into a dumpster fire by now. It hasn’t.
Gutekunst has hit on a couple of big-time signings that didn’t seem significant at the time, and Rodgers seems as chipper as he ever has been — notable, given all the injuries they’ve had to overcome. If he still wants out at the end of this year, is he really going to inherit a better situation?
Gutekunst built the Green Bay roster to win now, and head coach Matt LaFleur has done nothing but prove his worth throughout his first two-and-a-half seasons with the Packers. Looking around the league, Rodgers may realize this offseason that there is no better place for him to be than in Green Bay with Gutekunst as his general manager, regardless of how things end in the postseason.
What started as a rocky situation has slowly morphed into a cordial working relationship between Gutekunst and Rodgers. The signal-caller is far too stubborn to admit that they may be a perfect fit after all, and the GM isn’t going to come out and pat himself on the back quite yet. It’s just business as usual. What they may come to realize, though, is that one doesn’t work as well without the other. Gutekunst needs Rodgers, and whether he believes it or not now, Rodgers won’t find a better situation with a better GM than Gutekunst.
