Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers Expects to be Back in 2021

The Green Bay Packers’ season ended only two days ago, but there has already been a whirlwind of speculation on Aaron Rodgers’ future in 2021.

This was sparked by a question after the game about what’s next for the Packers. Rodgers took over a minute to answer this question, but two words were what sparked the madness.

Below is Rodgers’ full response to that question, and I highly recommend listening to it, but here is the quote that has everyone up in arms, “a lot of guys futures, they’re uncertain, myself included.”

Matt LaFleur followed Rodgers in the post-game press conference, and when asked about Rodgers’ future with the team, emphatically, LaFleur dismissed the notion that he wouldn’t be back. And why wouldn’t LaFleur want the soon to be three-time MVP back under center?

"“I sure as hell hope so. I mean, the guy is the MVP of this league. He’s the heart and soul of our football team. So, hell yeah. He better be back here. He’s our leader.”"

Yet this did little to quiet the outside noise. Numerous articles have been written, discussing Rodgers’ future, how the team has let him down, and most recently, that he wants a new contract. All of which is speculation.

If LaFleur’s response wasn’t enough — and clearly it wasn’t — Green Bay Packers’ CEO Mark Murphy also told reporters on Monday that Rodgers would be back for 2021.

"“We’re not idiots. Aaron Rodgers will be back, he’s our leader.”"

So we’ve heard from LaFleur. We’ve heard from Murphy. And now, we’ve heard from Aaron Rodgers himself. On his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, this of course came up, but Rodgers was quick to crush any doubt that was out there (via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel):

"“Obviously after the season I had,” Rodgers told McAfee and guest host A.J. Hawk, “and potentially winning MVP, and we obviously made another good run, I don’t think there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be back. But, look, there’s not many absolutes, as you guys know in this business. So to make an absolute statement about something that is not an absolute, I didn’t do it. And I guess that’s why it went kind of nuts.”"

We will see if this finally quells any apprehension or hope from some that Rodgers played his final snaps in Green Bay. And honestly, this never should have been as big of a story as it was.

Rodgers is under contract for the 2021 season, and while sure, Green Bay could save a few million dollars in cap space by trading him, they’d still incur a dead cap hit of over $31 million in a year where the salary cap is shrinking.

And while we are on the topic, why would the Packers trade Rodgers? As Murphy said, they’re not stupid. He is coming off an MVP season, throwing for nearly 4,300 yards with 48 touchdowns to five interceptions, and he led the NFL in passer rating. Not to mention that this was the most productive offense in the league.

Trading Rodgers would be an unjustifiable move—especially with Jordan Love still being a relative unknown.

And while some in the media think it’s a possibility that Rodgers could “force” his way out, what evidence is there that he would do this? If anything, all the evidence shows a player who loves Green Bay and wants to finish his career here, which he’s said numerous times.

On top of that, where is a realistic landing spot for him that gives him a better chance to win than Green Bay? The Packers are 26-6 the last two seasons with a pair of NFC Championship appearances.

So if the Packers aren’t trading Rodgers and he’s not going to force his way out, that leaves retirement. Do we really think that’s in play? Rodgers has routinely discussed wanting to play into his 40s. Was Sunday’s loss in the NFC Championship a tough one to swallow? Of course. Do we really think that single game is going to alter his career path? Not at all.

A few words shortly after suffering a disappointing playoff loss turned into Rodgers wanting out of Green Bay. This never really made any sense, but now we’ve heard from Rodgers himself on the matter. I won’t get my hopes up, but let’s hope this is the end of this discussion, at least for the 2021 season.