Green Bay is a unique franchise. Owned by the fanbase and mired in class, the Packers have been viewed as a force of stability for decades. That stability is often attributed to the fortune of having back to back Hall of Famers. While that’s true, it shortchanges the organization’s long running trend of successful front offices and coaching staffs. Remember, the organization had to make the original decision to trade for Favre. They then had to make the subsequent decisions to draft Rodgers, sit him for three years, and then replace Favre. Sure, fortune is involved. There is also good old fashioned healthy organizational structure at play.
Peter Schrager returned to Good Morning Football on the NFL Network after paternity and brought with him one of the best takes we’ve heard on the Aaron Rodgers saga. The beloved football analyst was quick to defend Green Bay actions and approach.
“I thought the Jets trip to Malibu was the most interesting thing because the Packers hadn’t agreed to a deal yet! I can’t imagine getting on that plane and just going and courting and wooing and showing your cards to everybody. And [you’re] gonna bring everybody. It wasn’t just Robert Saleh. They brought the offensive coordinator. They brought the team president. They brought the general manager. They bought multiple owners…I thought that was really interesting. So you have Jets fans up in a lather already “it must be a done deal if they are going out there.” No! The Packers hadn’t agreed to anything!
Then Rogers goes on McAfee “I was 90% retiring until I heard after the darkness retreat.” Well for the Jets and the Jets fans do you want to even play for us? Or do you just want to spite play for anyone? Where is the love there? And the last part is when he goes through the whole organization and all the love there. He’s mentioning Bob Harlan, who was the team president back when he got drafted, and the equipment guy, and Spike in the cafeteria and you don’t mention Mark Murphy who has been the president of the team since you were named starter? You don’t mention Brian Gutekunst who is the GM these last few years when you won MVP? At some point it does get personal! And the Packers aren’t trying to bend over backwards to help a guy that won’t show the gratitude towards them so I don’t think that helped.
The producers of GMFB then brought up a recent picture of Schrager and Saleh outside a New York City restaurant. Schrager recanted their dinner and conversation while continuing to support Gutekunst’s approach.
“Saleh and I went deep. We talked. Yeah they want Aaron Rodgers really badly…someone’s gonna have to bend…So this might come right up until the draft. I think Aaron Rodgers will be the quarterback of the New York Jets. I do. But I don’t think it had to get this way. I think there was a lot of different weird things that happened along the way. On the Jets and Aaron Rodgers side of it, they took the Packers’ gratitude for granted and thought they would just be the nice good soldiers in this and I don’t think the Packers are looking to do anyone any favors.”
A lot has been made of Brian Gutekunst’s disrespect of Rodgers’ latter years. How he failed to give him a supporting cast. How he double crossed him, drafting a qb when he needed help. How he refused to prioritize veterans Rodgers wanted around. There is truth to all of this. But there is also Rodgers’ own behavior. Despite his insistence that he is an all truth telling, straight line walking Zen master, his actions often show another side. Gutekunst’s contradiction of Rodgers’ claim last week at the owners meeting is a perfect example.
This doesn’t have to be about who is right and who is wrong. There is probably truth in everyone’s version of all these stories. But Schrager is right. The Packers don’t owe anyone anything. The Jets and Green Bay have done nothing to make them think that they need to play nice. What they need to do is look out for themselves and their fan base. That means, ignoring the noise and striking the best deal possible.
