"He agreed to stay " - Mike Florio reckons Aaron Rodgers needs to step up
Aaron Rodgers has been almost everything the Packers could have asked for over his 17 years in Green Bay. One of the primary accomplishments he lacks is a Super Bowl victory in the last decade after reaching the mountaintop in 2011, despite winning four MVP awards since. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes that doesn't cut it for one of the NFL's winningest franchises.
Florio condemned Rodgers for not being present at voluntary workouts this offseason, and used the lack of chances to hash out playbooks as the reasoning for the quarterback's decision not to show as a bad one:
"Well, we've agreed on everything for the first hour. So maybe it's time to start parting ways on some of these things. I think Aaron Rodgers needs to be there. He has no business reason to not be there. Most of the guys who aren't there, and I understand it's voluntary, but come on. These are limited opportunities for a team to install the offensive and defensive playbooks in advance of training camp, and when you have a receiver room that is in shambles in Green Bay that you're trying to rebuild and Aaron Rodgers is admitted when he agreed to stay."
#Packers quarterback Jordan Love asked even though #NFL OTA’s are voluntary, shouldn’t Aaron Rodgers be here? https://t.co/A63XR6RZEe
Aaron Rogers holds all the power in the Packers organization
There has seemingly been a disconnect between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers over the last few years, and it was amplified this past offseason when the Green Bay signal-caller called the team out following the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The franchise drafted two defensive players (Georgia LB Quay Walker, Georgia DT Devonte Wyatt) instead of focusing on replenishing Rodgers' offensive depth.
The callout worked, as Green Bay drafted Christian Watson with their second-round draft pick, but the damage was arguably done beforehand. Again, though, what repercussions are there for Rodgers? All of that falls to the Packers.
Why? Well, Rodgers appeared ready to move on this offseason, and had three teams in mind (Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers) as his next destination if the Packers didn't pay up. If they hadn't, it's possible that Rodgers would be in the "Mile High City", instead of Russell Wilson right now.
Green Bay needs to live in the bed they made, but Rodgers also needs to realize that pettiness won't get him past the rest of the NFC this coming season.