Wednesday’s press-conference diatribe directed at MVP voter Hub Arkush obscured other comments from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that are far more significant to his future career prospects.
As Simms and I have discussed recently, Rodgers may have a hard time finding a better situation than his current one in 2022. Appearing on SiriusXM’s The Adam Schein Podcast, Rodgers was asked whether this year in Green Bay has changed his assessment regarding whether the grass is greener elsewhere.
“The grass is greener where you water it,” Rodgers said. “I really believe that. And you know, that’s an adage to dissuade people from going out and taking risk and chances, and you know, I think that where you spend your time and energy and what you choose to water will always be the greenest part of your life. I decided when I came back that I was going to be all in with the team and all in to see things move forward to a better place. And that’s what the conversations were about, you know, during the offseason, was about being a part of those conversations that impact my ability to do my job. And I, you know, from one of the first days, Brian [Gutekunst] and I sat it down and got on the same page and it’s been a really nice Fall and Winter. I appreciate his approach, how it’s been, and it’s been very meaningful to me. So I’m thankful for that relationship, where it’s at at this point, and that’s made my life that much more enjoyable. So I gotta give Brian a lot of credit for meeting me in the middle.”
That’s obviously a very significant observation from Rodgers, one that truly opens the door to a return in 2022, since it suggests that fences have mended.
There’s also a chance that he never really wanted to go anywhere else. That he just wanted to make enough of a stink to force the front office to change its ways. Being the center of attention in the NFL was probably nice, too.
Of course, as we explained last week, the ultimate gesture of flexibility and appreciation will come from the extent to which the team is willing to make Rodgers the kind of financial offer that shows proper appreciation for a pair of MVP seasons, that makes the eventual ascension of Jordan Love moot, and that guarantees many more millions over the course of the next two or three years, in order to ensure that Rodgers eventually will have the kind of send off at Lambeau Fied that Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed on Monday night in Pittsburgh.