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Aaron Rodgers, Where Was Your Leadership in Green Bay?

 

Former Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is a beacon for controversy
Aaron Rodgers

There's no doubt that Aaron Rodgers is a future Hall of Fame quarterback and was a source of power on the field for the Green Bay Packers. However, in Rodgers' final seasons in Green Bay, there were signs of trouble in Packer paradise. Since Rodgers has been traded to the New York Jets, he has turned over a new leaf, or at least it looks that way. 

Written by: Aaliyah McClead

Aaron Rodgers' Goodwill vs. The Truth

Amari Rodgers deleted an X post that called out Aaron Rodgers' leadership tatics.
Amari Rodgers former Packers punt returner

Rodgers has allowed Jets rookie wide receiver Malachi Corley to stay in a room at his guest house. As a response, former Packers punt returner Amari Rodgers posted on X:

"Promise this helps [Corley] play better as a Rookie 100. If only I had this type of love coming into GB, but to each his own!"


Amari Rodgers has since deleted the above post. However, the UFL wide receiver brings up a good point. Throughout his illustrious career in Green Bay, the quarterback often seemed to be the center of locker room controversy.


Trouble in Packer Paradise


The legendary Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, is one of the greatest of all time. However, he has had a complicated history of selfishness in the lockeroom and controversy off the field.
Former Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

Near the end of Rodgers' career with the Green Bay Packers, it became apparent that the quarterback was increasingly dissatisfied with the team. The Packers had begun drafting younger players, like Amari Rodgers. Several of the quarterback's valued teammates were either retiring or being traded to other teams. Instead of taking rookie offensive players under his wing, as he is currently doing with Corley of the Jets, Rodgers made it more difficult for them to learn how to play football in Green Bay. Rodgers used hand signals to communicate with players on the field, but refused to share those signals with the young receivers. Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz tweeted:

"This is so beyond stupid but it's in character for him thinking it's genius. You know what you do? Create new signals. You know what’s really tough for young (or any) WRs? To not tell them what to do and then expect them to be confident and perform at a high level."


Aaron Rodgers' Long-held Grudge Against Mike McCarthy

Rumors abound that Aaron Rodgers had a pivotal role in pushing McCarthy out of Green Bay.
Former Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy

However, Aaron Rodgers' track record of being a poor teammate extends throughout his post-Super Bowl career with the Packers. Back in the 2019 offseason, Aaron Rodgers' feud with then Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy fell into the public eye after the coach was fired in December of 2018. 

Rodgers reportedly held a grudge against McCarthy since the 2005 NFL Draft. At that time, McCarthy had been the San Fransico 49ers offensive coordinator, but the 49ers drafted QB Alex Smith #1 overall based primarily on McCarthy's recommendation. Rodgers then spent a significant portion of the draft being ignored by other teams, until the Green Bay Packers drafted him #24 overall. Soon after, McCarthy became the coach of the Packers, and upon the team's decision to trade Brett Favre to the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers became Green Bay's new starting QB. But Rodgers never forgot the slight. 

As time went on, Rodgers became unhappy with the way McCarthy ran plays on the field, even though the coach had led the Packers to winning Super Bowl XLV in 2011. Rodgers was close friends with Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy at the time McCarthy was fired. There were rumors that Rodgers complained to Murphy and was one of the driving forces behind the decision to let the Super Bowl winning coach go. Rodgers fervently denied the allegations in 2018, claiming that he and McCarthy were close:

"I mean, we had a close-knit bond. Again, I don't need to respond to every person out there who's got an opinion. That just opens up a whole door of stuff that I don't want to be a part of."

Mark Murphy also made a statement defending Rodgers:

"[Rodgers had] no part at all in the decision to move on from Mike. [...] I really felt that change was needed and kind of Mike's tenure had run its course," Murphy said, via ESPN.com. "I think we needed a new voice, and it happens in our league."

When asked if Rodgers would have a role in hiring a new head coach, Murphy said the quarterback would be free to add his input. Then, when Matt Lafleur was hired as the new head coach in January of 2019, Mark Murphy allegedly told Aaron Rodgers:

"Don't be the problem."

After this conversation went public, Mark Murphy denied it all and Rodgers claimed he never heard it. Could this conversation have been the beginning of the end for Rodgers' Packer career?


Rodgers' Way or the Highway


Randall Cobb's return to Green Bay one of Aaron Rodgers' demands for the Packers.
Former Packers WR Randall Cobb

Just because McCarthy was out of the way didn't mean that Rodgers' tenure in Green Bay was all sunshine and rainbows. In 2020, the Packers drafted a new QB in Jordan Love. They did so without consulting Rodgers, enraging the Packers QB. Although the Packers hadn't planned on moving on from him immediately after drafting Love, #12 began making demands during his contract renegotiation.

The Packers staff caved and gave the legendary quarterback what he wanted. This included trading a sixth-round draft pick to the Texans for former Packers WR Randall Cobb. On the matter of allowing Rodgers to have a significant say on administrative decisions, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said, 

"[Rodgers has] earned a place at the table."

The trade Rodgers helped orchestrate proved detrimental to the team. While Rodgers personally preferred Cobb over other players (Cobb had 41 TDs, 470 receptions, and 5,524 during his earlier run with the Packers), Cobb took a roster spot on the team that could have gone to a younger player without age-related wear and tear. The wide receiver recorded just 64 receptions, 6 touchdowns, and 792 yards during the 2021 and 2022 seasons combined. The Packers tried to do everything they could to make the star quarterback happy, even if it meant setting the team back.

The End of the Rodgers-LaFleur Honeymoon Phase 


Aaron Rodgers even tried to manipulate Matt LaFleur's play calling.
Packers' Current Head Coach Matt LaFleur

Rodgers' honeymoon phase with Matt LaFleur had long ended, and Rodgers lost his patience with how the new head coach called plays. After a 2022 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Rodgers and LaFleur were caught on camera exchanging heated words on the sideline.

There was another instance when Rodgers publicly expressed his frustration with the coach on the field. LaFleur hadn't challenged a play that Rodgers believed he should have, so the quarterback lost his temper on the sidelines, in front of the Packers' loathed rivals, the Chicago Bears.


Out of Football Drama

Rodgers is one of the most talented quarterbacks to ever play the game, but his political beliefs and subscription to conspiracy theories remains problematic.
Rodgers at an NFL Honors Ceremony

In 2021, around the same time Rodgers was pushing the Packers to meet his desires for the team, his off-the-field behavior caught the ire of the public. The COVID-19 pandemic had been decimating the United States for over a year, and the NFL had gone to great lengths to keep their players safe. When asked if he was vaccinated against the deadly virus, Rodgers stated that he was "immunized," effectively tricking the public into believing he had received the COVID-19 vaccine. However, after testing positive for the virus, it was soon discovered that Rodgers had not been vaccinated. Rodgers admitted to misleading the public, and claimed he was not anti-vax, but was allergic to an ingredient in the mRNA vaccine. But the public found out that Rodgers had enlisted the help of conspiracy theorist Joe Rogan to find an alternative immunization for COVID-19. Rodgers soon began speaking of a "woke mob" coming after him to put him in "a cancel-culture casket." Rodgers wanted to get the embarrassing deal over with fast:

"I’m an athlete. I’m not an activist. I’m going to get back to doing what I do best, and that’s playing ball. I shared my opinion. It wasn’t one that was come to frivolously. It involved a lot of study and what I felt like was in my best interest for my body."

Despite Rodgers' eagerness to put the matter aside and focus on football, his actions effectively took the spotlight off the Packers, onto his political beliefs and lack of medical knowledge.

The End of an Era

The day after the Packers announced they had traded Rodgers to the Jets, the future Hall of Famer said his goodbyes to Green Bay in an emotional Instagram post:

"To the fans, THANK YOU, you made every run out of the tunnel special, every home game magical, and it was my honor to be your QB. To my teammates, I love you all, and am thankful for the moments on and off the field that brought us close. I played with legends, I played with friends; thanks for believing in me and having my back always. This is not the end for us, I will see you again Green Bay, you’ll always have my heart."

 


The Drama Continues

The legendary Rodgers' departure from Green Bay moved many fans to tears, but some thought it would be better for the Packers to see him go. So far, there's been a significant amount of evidence to support that this claim is true.

First, an aging Rodgers tore his achilles tendon in week 1, an injury that knocked Rodgers out for the entire 2023 season. Meanwhile, the Packers had secured a promising, young talent in quarterback Jordan Love. Love went on to lead the team to a playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys and a near upset over the 49ers in the NFC Divisional round. Love is certain to improve in the years to come, maybe even become the next GOAT, while Rodgers inches closer to retirement. 

Secondly, despite Rodgers' attempts to convince the public that he has become a more "gentle" and "compassionate" person due his use of the Peruvian hallucinogen ayahuasca, he still has the matter of his controversial conspiracy laden political opinions to deal with. Recently, Rodgers made a completely unfounded claim against late-night show host, Jimmy Kimmel:

"There's a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, really hoping [the Epstein list] doesn't come out."

Needless to say, Rodgers' false claim could've been disastrous to Kimmel's reputation. Kimmel has received death threats over the false claims and has worried about the safety of his own family. Rodgers' salacious and unfounded claims enraged the comedian and the public who knew better. After Kimmel threatened to sue Rodgers in court, slamming the quarterback's belief in pseudoscience and citing the COVID-19 vaccine scandal, Rodgers stated:

"I’m glad Jimmy is not on the list. I really am. I don’t think he’s the P-word. [...] It’s impressive that a man who went to Arizona State and has 10 joke writers can read off a prompter. My education at [junior college] and my three semesters at Cal, that I’m very proud of, has worked out for me and I’m glad to see it’s worked out for him as well. I wish him the best. Again, I don’t give a shit what he says about me. As long as he understands what I actually said and that I’m not accusing him of being on a list, then I’m all for moving forward."

Instead of apologizing for his false claim, Rodgers mocked Kimmel's education. #12 has not apologized for his actions, nor his erratic speech. His bizarre behaviors continue, taking the focus off the Jets as a team, and instead shining a spotlight onto himself. Now, the New York Jets face the same issue the Packers did in 2022; will they have to cater to a legendary, but aging and problematic quarterback who puts himself ahead of his teammates, or will they have to move on? The Jets' honeymoon phase with Rodgers will end, sooner or later. While Rodgers is a legendary player beyond comparison, he isn't the team leader he's trying to publicly portray and some teammates, like Amari Rodgers, know this. 


FURTHER READING: That Time Ray Lewis Almost Became a Green Bay Packer




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Location: Green Bay, WI, USA

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