Aaron Rodgers officially began his holdout this week, and there does not seem to be much optimism that he will end it before training camp next month. If Rodgers does skip training camp, the next question will be whether he plans to report in time for Week 1. At least one Green Bay Packers insider can envision a scenario where Rodgers stays away.
During an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” this week, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky said he believes there is a “decent chance” Rodgers will not play at all in 2021. The reason for that is if Rodgers truly has no intention of playing for the Packers again, the team may be better off waiting until next offseason to trade him.
“I think there’s a decent chance of that, Rich. Here’s why: If you trade him now, there’s no real difference in the value you’re gonna get than if you trade him in February, March or April next year,” Demovsky said. “Let’s say you trade him to Denver right now, and Denver’s probably got a decent team as long as they have a quarterback … they probably win 10, 11, 12 games with Rodgers. All of a sudden that draft pick is in the 20s. If you wait until after the season and Denver has another 5-win or 6-win season and you make the trade before next year’s draft, now you’re picking in the top 10.”
That obviously isn’t the ideal scenario for the Packers. They still want Rodgers back, even if Jordan Love has been impressive thus far in OTAs. However, if Rodgers is as dug in about not showing up as many believe, the team may not have a choice.
It’s unclear how Rodgers and the Packers plan to proceed. One of the 37-year-old’s former teammates recently provided a big hint about what is bothering Rodgers. What we don’t know is if the relationship is tarnished beyond repair.
