The Green Bay Packers reportedly agreed to the groundwork of a trade ending Aaron Rodgers’ 18-year tenure with the team.
On Monday afternoon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the compensation to a long-awaiting deal sending the star quarterback to the New York Jets. Speaking to reporters after the news broke, Packers general Brian Gutekunst said the trade isn’t official yet.
However, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, he discussed moving the franchise cornerstone under somewhat unordinary circumstances. Gutekunst said he hasn’t spoken to Rodgers for most of the offseason.
“I have so much respect for Aaron, not only the person but the player that he is,” Gutekunst said. “There’s so much gratitude in what he’s done for this organization. Again, it would’ve been nice to have those conversations, but at the same time, over the last few years, I kind of understood that they may not happen. So it’s different.”
Brian Gutekunst is trading a franchise legend without having spoken to him.
“It would’ve been nice to have those conversations, but at the same time, over the last few years, I kind of understood that they may not happen.”
More from the Packers GM here:https://t.co/S3RqYPw97E
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) April 25, 2023
Gutekunst said at last month’s owners’ meeting that he hasn’t been able to contact Rodgers despite trying “many times.” He confirmed Thursday that he hasn’t talked to the quarterback since, instead conducting all negotiations through his agent.
“After the season, we had a good conversation and we were going to have some follow-up conversations,” Gutekunst told reporters last month. “And our inability to reach him or for him to respond in any way, I think at that point, I had to do my job and reach out, understanding that a trade could be possible and see(ing) who was interested.”
Rodgers’ relationship with the Packers appeared to sour toward the end. Two years ago, a tumultuous offseason stalemate nearly ended his time in Green Bay.
Per Gutekunst’s account, the two haven’t spoken since the 39-year-old publicly revealed his desire to play for the Jets on The Pat McAfee Show. Gutekunst nevertheless said Rodgers will “always be a Packer” and there’s “no doubt” the organization will miss him.