If anyone has some insight into Aaron Rodgers‘ situation with the Green Bay Packers right now, it’s Brett Favre. Not only did the Hall-of-Fame quarterback lead the Packers for 16 years but Rodgers was his backup and heir apparent for three of them. The two had a tumultuous existence together as teammates but have since worked it out and become friendly.
Now, as Rodgers finds himself locked in a battle with Green Bay’s front office, his future with the franchise hangs in the balance. While Rodgers initially seemed like he might retire in the offseason, he reported for camp and has been integral in practice and the preseason, leading up to this weekend’s NFL opener.
Favre was recently interviewed on Sirius XM Radio and he said the key to the Packers retaining Rodgers beyond this season might come down to how much they listen to him.
“I do think this in regards to Aaron [Rodgers] but also let’s say Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, guys who’ve paid their dues and certainly should be listened to when, you know, let’s just use Aaron as an example,” Favre said. “If he goes in and says, ‘Look, I really think we need to keep this guy. I really love the rapport I have with him. I trust everything he does on the field and that’s hard to come by. Let’s retain the guy, whatever it takes. Let’s do that.’ I think that’s justifiable, for Aaron to speak up or any guy who’s paid his dues. And I think it would be unwise as an organization to not listen to the guy who’s pulling the trigger. You know, your take from a general manager perspective obviously is different because you’re thinking about the team as a whole, but also the future and the present. So yeah, I certainly think that that’s a tough job, but the guy that’s pulling the trigger for you deserves to be listened to and in some cases, you act on his wishes. So I think that’s what we’re going to see happen from now on.”
Favre also noted that Rodgers seemed to have concerns about the Packers front office long before this summer and the current problems.
“What I sensed in our conversations was frustration on his part in regards to retaining players, or letting guys go that he felt like were very instrumental in their success,” Favre said. “And was not given any heads up on either bringing someone back or letting someone go. Now that being said, that happened to me numerous times. You know you lose a guy that you become really good friends with. Maybe it’s a receiver that you had a rapport with that you feel like you’ll never get with anyone else and he showed no signs of declining and it was like a no-brainer, bring the guy back. But that’s the way it was.”
The Packers kick off their 2021 NFL season this weekend and all signs point to Rodgers making the most of it. What happens after that is up to a handful of people in Green Bay. The question is…how much will they be willing to work together to keep things going? And will it make a difference at this point anyway?
[PFT]
