Aaron Rodgers landed with the New York Jets in a trade earlier this offseason. But, according to some recent reports, the former Packers quarterback wanted out of Green Bay a few years back.
Early in the 2021 offseason, Rodgers’ agent, Dave Dunn, reportedly offered the Packers an ultimatum: either trade his client or fire general manager Brian Gutekunst.
“According to a source associated with the team who was granted anonymity to candidly discuss the sensitive dynamics between the front office and the star quarterback, early in the 2021 offseason, Dunn, Rodgers’ agent, called Packers president Mark Murphy with a request: Fire Gutekunst or trade Rodgers,” a report from Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reads.
Of course, neither of these things happened at the time. Gutekunst remained as leader of the Packers’ front office and Rodgers stayed on board for yet another season with Green Bay in 2022.
After failing to make the playoffs this past season, Rodgers publicly expressed his desire to receive a trade to the Jets. Gutekunst and the Packers obliged, sending their longtime franchise quarterback to New York and ushering in a new era of Green Bay football.
Part of this ultimatum was reportedly sparked by the Packers’ first-round selection of quarterback Jordan Love in the 2020 draft. With Rodgers now out of the picture, Love is entering his first season as the team’s QB1.