The Green Bay Packers thought they had it all figured out. They’d just gone 13-3 in 2019. They’d gone to the NFC championship. One win away from the Super Bowl. Their roster was pretty much set for the now. Maybe it was time to start thinking about the future. Time to take a quarterback early in the draft. They’d done it back in 2005 with Aaron Rodgers while they still had Brett Favre. Just repeat the formula again. This time with Jordan Love.
No problem, right? They could not have been more wrong. In their self-assurance that they were doing what was best for the team, the Packers brass forgot something. Rodgers is not Favre. Where the latter was a good teammate and known for being a good soldier, the former is so different. He’s not afraid to play the political game. Not afraid to do what he thinks is best for his career. So when that Love pick came down, he was no happy.
Rodgers bit his tongue for the time being.
Instead, he focused his efforts on ripping up the NFL in 2020. That he did, throwing 48 touchdowns to just five interceptions and winning his third MVP award. Green Bay again reached the NFC championship and was a poorly executed 4th quarter away from the Super Bowl. Everybody thought it was all good. That the fun times would continue.
They were wrong. Hours before the start of the NFL draft, it was revealed that Rodgers was fed up with the Packers team brass to such an extent that he was contemplating not returning to the team. People didn’t think he was serious at first. Then reports began to surface that he was quite serious. Even teammates have begun to realize it.
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Gotta appreciate what u got while ya got it!
— Davante Adams (@tae15adams) May 3, 2021
According to Albert Breer of the MMQB, the Packers brass understands the dangerous waters they’re treading. It seems the idea of moving to the Love era right now is not as appealing as it once seemed a year ago.
“I don’t know how big a part of the equation this would play in the Packers’ decision-making, but I can say that I’m not convinced, based on a few things I’ve heard, the Packers believe Jordan Love is ready to be at the wheel for a championship team.”
"Is it personal or is it business? It's both."
News of @AaronRodgers12 unhappiness with the #Packers organization shook the #NFLDraft and @richeisen is hearing it's a number of things but can only see it playing out one way: pic.twitter.com/924qMAUU6Z
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) May 3, 2021
Jordan Love is in a no-win situation
Unless he steps in and plays like a superstar, he is doomed. Based on the early returns dating back to last fall, he didn’t exactly make the best first impression. Enough to where he wasn’t even the #2 quarterback on the depth chart. It probably wasn’t a good thing that head coach Matt Lafleur wasn’t even told the Love pick was going to happen before it did. Essentially the Packers front office has created a toxic situation by their inability to communicate properly.
Jordan Love didn’t do anything wrong. He didn’t ask to get picked the way he did. This is entirely between the team brass and Rodgers. Something that has been brewing for a long time. The future Hall of Famer appears to have reached his breaking point. If the Packers aren’t willing to trade him, he’s not afraid to contemplate retirement. This would leave Green Bay with zero choices but move forward with Love as their starter. No doubt that is by design. He doesn’t plan to let them do to him what they did to Favre.
He’ll decide when it’s time. Not them.
So unless they’re willing to commit serious money to him in a long-term deal and basically abandon the Love project altogether? It doesn’t seem like this situation is salvageable. An incredible thought considering where this team was just a few months ago.