Aaron Rodgers Won’t Play For Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre Says

Perhaps the one person who can relate to Aaron Rodgers’ situation more than anyone seems to believe that the quarterback is done with the Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre doesn’t expect his successor to back down after his recent trade request.

It’s been widely reported that Rodgers doesn’t want to return to the Packers for the 2021 NFL season. Green Bay has said it has no plans to trade the reigning MVP, but that might not be enough to get Rodgers back into a Packers’ uniform.

“Knowing Aaron, and I think I know him fairly well, if he has a grudge, whether it be against the organization or a player or an arch-rival, or family, friends, he ain’t budging,” Favre said on his “Bolling with Favre” podcast. “I don’t see him coming back and saying — if this is not resolved, however, whatever the issue is — if it’s not resolved, or even if it’s resolved but he feels like they have one up on him, he ain’t gonna play. Knowing Aaron, he would sit. Now, he would forego a lot of money, but he’s also got a lot money.”

Rodgers is so unhappy with the Packers that it’s believed he’d rather not play at all than stay in Green Bay. Abruptly retiring would force Rodgers to pay back the $11.5 million signing bonus he already received for the upcoming season. In total, retirement would cost Rodgers $44.5 million, according to ProFootballTalk.

If Aaron Rodgers retires (to host Jeopardy or just retire), he would have to repay the team $11.5M this year and $11.5M if he remains retired next year — all from his signing bonus. Unless the situation is repaired to his liking, this is a serious consideration, I’m told. https://t.co/kEQwpexqX0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 30, 2021

Part of Rodgers’ rift with the organization was caused by Green Bay’s decision to draft quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 draft. Fifteen years prior, the Packers used a first-round pick to take Rodgers while Favre was still the team’s starter.

Favre played three more seasons for the Packers before Rodgers took the reins.

Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson has reported that Rodgers doesn’t want to return to the Packers as long as Brian Gutekunst is still the general manager. The Athletic reported Wednesday that Rodgers mocked Gutekunst in group chats with teammates and compared him to former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry Krause, who was disliked by Michael Jordan during his championship runs with the NBA franchise.

Rodgers is reportedly interested in joining the Denver Broncos or Las Vegas Raiders.