When Aaron Rodgers first asked the Green Bay Packers to trade him during the 2021 offseason, it was widely reported that his biggest beef was with general manager Brian Gutekunst. Now two years later, that information has been confirmed.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that a source close to the Packers told him Rodgers in 2021 gave team president Mark Murphy an ultimatum — fire Gutekunst or trade me.
Murphy, of course, did not cave. Rodgers played for the Packers for two more seasons, and Gutekunst remains the team’s GM. The former MVP would later go into detail about why he was unhappy with Green Bay’s front office, naming several “high-character veterans” that he felt should have been treated better by the team.
The biggest issue for Rodgers was that he disagreed with the Packers’ philosophy when it came to veteran players. Though, it was that same philosophy that led to him taking over for Brett Favre as the team’s franchise quarterback. Gutekunst has simply continued to carry it out.
Eventually, Rodgers and Gutekunst smoothed things over — at least temporarily. The GM admitted that he acquired wide receiver Randall Cobb, who is close friends with Rodgers, during the 2021 offseason because Rodgers requested it. Rodgers later said that the dialogue between him and Gutekunst had improved.
The tension seemed to return this offseason, when Rodgers openly ripped the Packers for their lack of honest communication with him. Both sides were ready to move on at that point, which is why Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets.
Murphy and the Packers obviously think very highly of Gutekunst. Some front office groups would have fired their GM in a heartbeat if it meant appeasing one of the greatest players of all time.
