Another NFL season is on the books for the Packers, and once more, the future of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay looks uncertain. After the team failed to make the playoffs, the veteran quarterback suggested he may not be back for the 2023 campaign.
2022 has been particularly tough for Rodgers. It took him long to get over Davante Adams‘ departure, and when he finally found some chemistry with his young wideouts, it was too late. Retirement, playing for another team, or even staying in Green Bay, every possibility seems to be on the table for Rodgers.
Technically, he’s still under contract for a few more years with the Packers, after the team tied him down to a lucrative extension in 2022. Therefore, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst hopes Rodgers doesn’t leave themonly a year later.
Brian Gutekunst expects Aaron Rodgers to stay committed with the Packers
“He’s certainly going to take some time. I think that’s fair,” Gutekunst said, via ProFootballTalk. “And as we work through this, I think as he takes his time, makes his decision just on his playing career in general, then we’ll get together and move forward that way.
“We made a really big commitment to him last offseason. So I think as we did that, it wasn’t certainly for just this year. So we’ll — like I said, he’s going to take his time and the communication will be pretty constant as we move forward.”
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“I really respect the process he goes through after the season,” Gutekunstcontinued.“He’s done this for a long time. What he goes through during the offseason to get prepared for a season is significant. And I understand the decision he has to make on whether he wants to go through that. So, I’ve always tried to give him that time.”
Gutekunst does the right thing in respecting Rodgers‘time to think about his future, but not without reminding the effort made by the Packersjust a year ago. After all, the front office seems to want Rodgers to come back despite things didn’t go as expected in 2022.
“Well certainly this year, I think he was dealing with some moving pieces, some injuries — things like that,” Gutekunst added. “It wasn’t a great year offensively for us as a whole. But I mean, you guys saw, he can still play at a very high level. Really liked the way he led us. So, I think as we move forward over the next month or so, we’ll start putting these things together and see how that transpires.”
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