Report: Rodgers wants new contract (Update: May not want to return in 2021)

[SeaBass]

Less to do with a sub-par player being released and more to do with the fact that Rodgers liked him and they didn't care. That alone wouldn't do it, but A + B + C + Kumerow = pouty Aaron is a possibility.

I think you can add that cutting Kumerow a day after Rodgers praised the guy, might have even felt like a 'screw you, Aaron' decision - done to show who was boss. Was that what the front office was trying to do? Probably not. That just seems really stupid to try and upstage your star player just to prove a point. But people have done dumber things out of spite or jealousy or revenge.

 

I'm not defending any of the people involved - because usually blame can go around to most everyone in situations like this. Just trying to say it's not that Rodgers thought Kumerow was the answer to all his issues - just that he went out on a limb for the guy in the media, and the front office made the move in spite of that.

 

To me, this demonstrates that the two sides aren't talking. I mean, if the most important guy in your company says they value a person, perhaps you should try and understand why. It just seems like a disconnect with both parties - which should not be happening on an NFL team. If that is happening, there's something seriously wrong with stuff and it needs to be addressed.

This has me wondering, does the GM have to religiously watch/listen for every quote he gives in interviews? Is there an intern whose responsibility it is to gather the daily quotes their players make? Seems like that would get exhausting. Is it possible he just wasn't aware Rodgers just said something about Kumerow and made a personnel move just as part of churning the roster? I'm not trying to be snarky either I'm genuinely curious. It could have easily been an innocent coincidence.

[MrTPlush]

But wouldn’t the GM care about the QBs opinion on what was what, the last WR on the depth chart? I would think he wouldn’t need to watch Rodgers quotes...he should already know that by either directly talking to Rodgers or through LaFleur. I think most would agree the last roster spot to a WR is pretty interchangeable and you’d almost want the guy the QB has the best connection with.

 

I don’t think the Packers decision making is really what irks Rodgers the most. It’s the countless times he has wanted more communication on topics and yet he finds out on the internet with fans. Whether you agree with why Rodgers is upset or not the Packers should have had common sense the last year to figure out how to keep him as happy as they could. Yet they kept failing on communication all the way down to that 4th and Goal field goal kick.

 

Whether you think Rodgers is a circus or not there really is no denying the Packers have kind of failed to control this situation until it imploded.

[reillymcshane]

But wouldn’t the GM care about the QBs opinion on what was what, the last WR on the depth chart? I would think he wouldn’t need to watch Rodgers quotes...he should already know that by either directly talking to Rodgers or through LaFleur. I think most would agree the last roster spot to a WR is pretty interchangeable and you’d almost want the guy the QB has the best connection with.

 

I don’t think the Packers decision making is really what irks Rodgers the most. It’s the countless times he has wanted more communication on topics and yet he finds out on the internet with fans. Whether you agree with why Rodgers is upset or not the Packers should have had common sense the last year to figure out how to keep him as happy as they could. Yet they kept failing on communication all the way down to that 4th and Goal field goal kick.

 

Whether you think Rodgers is a circus or not there really is no denying the Packers have kind of failed to control this situation until it imploded.

This is pretty spot on. Yes, the GM shouldn't have to scour Internet quotes because he should already know the answer.

[SeaBass]

But wouldn’t the GM care about the QBs opinion on what was what, the last WR on the depth chart? I would think he wouldn’t need to watch Rodgers quotes...he should already know that by either directly talking to Rodgers or through LaFleur. I think most would agree the last roster spot to a WR is pretty interchangeable and you’d almost want the guy the QB has the best connection with.

 

I don’t think the Packers decision making is really what irks Rodgers the most. It’s the countless times he has wanted more communication on topics and yet he finds out on the internet with fans. Whether you agree with why Rodgers is upset or not the Packers should have had common sense the last year to figure out how to keep him as happy as they could. Yet they kept failing on communication all the way down to that 4th and Goal field goal kick.

 

Whether you think Rodgers is a circus or not there really is no denying the Packers have kind of failed to control this situation until it imploded.

Is it your opinion then that the GM is not consulting with his head coach before making such a change? Because I think Matt LaFleur might be a little more plugged in to how his franchise, HoF QB feels about throwing to Jake Kumerow.

 

I just really find it hard to believe that everything falls on Brian Gutekunst for these moves Rodgers doesn't like and wants more input in. Drafting Jordan Love, sure that situation makes sense, but not the 5th string WR.

[DuWayne Steurer]

You'd like to think that your WR6 is a pretty inconsequential roster spot, but then you're playing the Cardinals in the playoffs and your only WR's are Jeff Janis and Some Other Guy I Can't Remember.

 

In 96 Free and Brooks got hurt and we were pretty far down the depth chart, to the point they went and snagged Andre Rison.

 

We don't know why the front office didn't keep Kumerow, or why the timing of his release happened when it happened, or if they even cared that Rodgers said what he said, or if they released Kumerow to show Rodgers that he's not in charge, or any of those things, or all of the above, but it does give the portrayal from the outside that there's not a great line of communication there.

[FVBrewerFan]

Remember all the times Rodgers made a comment about "going home and having a scotch" after the game. Always that it was strange, because he said it in a dry, slightly facetious way. Now I'm thinking that's a subtle inside dig at Gute. As in, yea the old man somehow won a game, and will savor it over a scotch.

 

I do think it's a lot of little things, but he really believes Gute was/is trying to replace him this year or next. In reality, after Rodgers 19-20 season it was reasonable for Gute to prepare for the worst. Have a plan b ready in case Rodgers really started showing his age. Rodgers has taken that personally, and here we are.

[SeaBass]

We don't know why the front office didn't keep Kumerow, or why the timing of his release happened when it happened, or if they even cared that Rodgers said what he said, or if they released Kumerow to show Rodgers that he's not in charge, or any of those things, or all of the above, but it does give the portrayal from the outside that there's not a great line of communication there.

Yes I definitely have that impression, what concerns me more is if the GM is making personnel moves and even LaFleur isn't in the loop, we can have opinions on if we think it's fair or not that Rodgers have more of a say in things but there's a real problem if the GM is leaving out the HC. If Gute is not leaving out the HC from these decisions then I think it's fair to say Rodgers is being unreasonably particular in who he's casting the stink eye of blame at for all of his ouchy feelings.

[Fear The Chorizo]

This seems to have devolved into straws grasping at straws at this point...I mean Kumerow will be lucky if he can stick on a roster anywhere in the NFL next season - maybe just maybe the GM realized he'd need that roster spot a bottom of the roster WR6 is taking up for a different position player - particularly when the offense tends to use heavy tight end and running back formations frequently (remember Tyler Ervin was on the field a bunch until he got injured for those jet sweeps, and he was listed as a RB on the roster even though he was lining up in the slot).

 

I don't buy the cutting of Kumerow 1 day after Rodgers' quote schtick, either as a way of Gute sticking it to Rodgers - Rodgers was quoted the day before final training camp cuts were made to start last year's regular season - it's not like there was still 9 days from final cuts or in week 5 of the season and Gute just jettisoned Kumerow randomly. He was far from the only player cut the day after Rodgers opened his mouth in an interview. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if he actually knew who was going to get cut after meeting with MLF/Gute about it and went ahead and threw that quote into the media the day before it was going to happen anyways if he's already gonna be his salty self.

[MrTPlush]

But wouldn’t the GM care about the QBs opinion on what was what, the last WR on the depth chart? I would think he wouldn’t need to watch Rodgers quotes...he should already know that by either directly talking to Rodgers or through LaFleur. I think most would agree the last roster spot to a WR is pretty interchangeable and you’d almost want the guy the QB has the best connection with.

 

I don’t think the Packers decision making is really what irks Rodgers the most. It’s the countless times he has wanted more communication on topics and yet he finds out on the internet with fans. Whether you agree with why Rodgers is upset or not the Packers should have had common sense the last year to figure out how to keep him as happy as they could. Yet they kept failing on communication all the way down to that 4th and Goal field goal kick.

 

Whether you think Rodgers is a circus or not there really is no denying the Packers have kind of failed to control this situation until it imploded.

Is it your opinion then that the GM is not consulting with his head coach before making such a change? Because I think Matt LaFleur might be a little more plugged in to how his franchise, HoF QB feels about throwing to Jake Kumerow.

 

I just really find it hard to believe that everything falls on Brian Gutekunst for these moves Rodgers doesn't like and wants more input in. Drafting Jordan Love, sure that situation makes sense, but not the 5th string WR.

 

 

No, I’m sure the GM consults with the head coach, that’s what I would expect for the most part. Maybe I’d expect Gute to talk to Aaron too, but only because Aaron has been around for years and is an unworldly QB...not some Jay Cutler.

 

I’m not really blaming Gute for it or even LeFleur. However, these are the little things that are really going to irritate a guy (Rodgers) if he was already pretty irked in general from how things were going. Is getting upset over Kumerow being dumped a bit dramatic at face value? Yah, but there is likely a whole lot that led up to him getting upset over that. I don’t think Rodgers was a happy peach one day and then Kumerow getting released sent him off the deep end.

[pacopete4]

Why can't the GM, the head coach, and the QB of the team just do their jobs and stop with all this other nonsense?

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Why can't the GM, the head coach, and the QB of the team just do their jobs and stop with all this other nonsense?

 

Common sense diverged from this situation long ago, unfortunately. Is Gute at fault for not communicating more with his franchise QB? Yes, and he has admitted as much. But Rodgers is being a baby. If he's to the point where he refuses to play for the Packers, fine. Retire, or rot on the "did not report" list." I don't even care about the expected "haul" of draft picks they could get for him. I don't want to see him play anywhere else. No player should ever make himself bigger than the team ... no matter how otherworldly talented he is.

 

For the record, I wish the Packers had done the same thing with Favre. As soon as they dealt him to the Jets, I knew he'd eventually end up playing for the Vikings or Bears, because that's just the type of person Favre is. The Packers let him win, and multiple legacies were tarnished in doing so.

[adambr2]

Why can't the GM, the head coach, and the QB of the team just do their jobs and stop with all this other nonsense?

 

Common sense diverged from this situation long ago, unfortunately. Is Gute at fault for not communicating more with his franchise QB? Yes, and he has admitted as much. But Rodgers is being a baby. If he's to the point where he refuses to play for the Packers, fine. Retire, or rot on the "did not report" list." I don't even care about the expected "haul" of draft picks they could get for him. I don't want to see him play anywhere else. No player should ever make himself bigger than the team ... no matter how otherworldly talented he is.

 

For the record, I wish the Packers had done the same thing with Favre. As soon as they dealt him to the Jets, I knew he'd eventually end up playing for the Vikings or Bears, because that's just the type of person Favre is. The Packers let him win, and multiple legacies were tarnished in doing so.

 

I don't think the Packers let Favre "win" and they couldn't have just done the same thing with him. Favre wanted to play again, and he was under contract. Their options were to let him come compete for the starting job and let the Rodgers/Favre thing be a massive distraction and headache, or trade him.

 

They traded him to an AFC team with a poison pill to try to keep him from being back in the division. What happened later with him getting released from the Jets and signing with the Vikings was beyond their control. They can't just dictate the rest of his career. I just struggle to see how they could have handled the Favre situation differently.

[pacopete4]

The Favre fiasco wasn't just that moment in time either. They let Favre become the beast he ended up becoming. This organization now has two HOF QB situations to look back at and wonder what the heck is going on 1265 Lombardi Avenue?

[Fear The Chorizo]

The Favre fiasco wasn't just that moment in time either. They let Favre become the beast he ended up becoming. This organization now has two HOF QB situations to look back at and wonder what the heck is going on 1265 Lombardi Avenue?

 

It honestly could be worse....guessing Halas Hall is clamoring for that type of a problem - perhaps the common denominator lies with the mentality/actions of said HOF QBs moreso than the front office, especially since those scenarios appear to be happening 13+ years apart and the front office isn't the same people, either.

[CheezWizHed]

At this point (if the Kumerow thing has an ounce of truth), Rodgers and Favre really need to get together. The parallels of the situations is just really ironic. Favre was pretty open about how he went from playing football with all his buddies to being the old man in the locker-room and feeling disconnected from most of his team. All of his close friends were gone at the end. I'd guess this is more why losing Kumerow was a blow to Rodgers than his actual WR skillset.

 

Maybe we can hire Jake as assistant to the regional manager in charge of QB communications.

[adambr2]

I would guess that a lot of it too is, like with anything else, after 16 years things sometimes get stale, relationships change and deteriorate, etc. Not many legends even finish where they started in this game. I think some guys reach a point where they either want a change of scenery or they want to prove either to themselves or others that they can thrive outside of the environment they've spent their entire careers in.

 

Joe Montana finished his career in KC. Even the Tom Brady/New England relationship did not stand the test of time.

[SeaBass]

I'm willing to think that the Kumerow thing probably bothered Rodgers but really is being blown up as some huge thing in the media when it's more likely just one of the little things that pile up and add to the whole.

 

I'm also willing to believe AJ Hawk when he shared his opinion that he doesn't believe that Rodgers is demanding the GM be fired. Which I will admit is the one rumor that has gotten my dander up in this whole soap opera, because to me a "it's him or me" declaration (between AR and BG) is the height of utter stupidity and simply a non-starter if I'm the Packers and negotiating with Rodgers. If he's going to be that petty then I wash my hands of him right there if he doesn't come back around to logic and reality. I wanted TT fired towards the end but if Favre had made the same demand during his time I would have said Favre was nuts and just being a baby.

[xisxisxis]

Whether you think Rodgers is a circus or not there really is no denying the Packers have kind of failed to control this situation until it imploded.

It takes two to Tango. How do we know the whole Kumerow situation went down as the current hypothetical narrative?

 

I believe it's standard practice to let a player know they are making a move on him. What if Gute told Kumerow that he was being released. He was clearing out his stuff and Rodgers saw him and got pissed. He went to Gute and said he wanted them to keep Kumerow and they disagreed. Rodgers takes the first chance that day to say something to a reporter to undermine the release which nobody knows about yet. The paperwork went through and Kumerow was officially realeased (press announcement). It all looks like Gute wasn't paying attention. The Packers will never release that narrative because they don't air dirty laundry. Rodgers wouldn't say anything because it makes him look like the egomaniac he is.

 

Maybe since none of us know the actual circumstances we don't judge the situation. Being the MVP doesn't get you a free pass to tell the GM what to do with the lowest roster spots. The bottom line is that the front office, GM and head coach seem to have winning as their main priority while the MVP QB has getting his way as the primary priority. I know which group/one needs to go.

[MrTPlush]

Whether you think Rodgers is a circus or not there really is no denying the Packers have kind of failed to control this situation until it imploded.

It takes two to Tango. How do we know the whole Kumerow situation went down as the current hypothetical narrative?

 

I believe it's standard practice to let a player know they are making a move on him. What if Gute told Kumerow that he was being released. He was clearing out his stuff and Rodgers saw him and got pissed. He went to Gute and said he wanted them to keep Kumerow and they disagreed. Rodgers takes the first chance that day to say something to a reporter to undermine the release which nobody knows about yet. The paperwork went through and Kumerow was officially realeased (press announcement). It all looks like Gute wasn't paying attention. The Packers will never release that narrative because they don't air dirty laundry. Rodgers wouldn't say anything because it makes him look like the egomaniac he is.

 

Maybe since none of us know the actual circumstances we don't judge the situation. Being the MVP doesn't get you a free pass to tell the GM what to do with the lowest roster spots. The bottom line is that the front office, GM and head coach seem to have winning as their main priority while the MVP QB has getting his way as the primary priority. I know which group/one needs to go.

 

I mean, sure, you can question my hypothetical with an even crazier unlikely hypothetical. Possible? I guess...but probably not. This is a sports forum...pretty much half the purpose is rumors, hypotheticals, opinions, etc.

 

You say no one should judge the situation as we don’t know the circumstances/details...and then you literally proceed to judge the entire situation and say Rodgers needs to go as he is worried about himself while the team is worried about winning.

 

Everyone can have their opinion in this, but I’m guessing we are all about 90% wrong in what we think is actually going on here. The only thing that seems obvious here is both sides seem to have been kinda dumb for the last year plus...I’m just not sure who is being more dumb as the real details are pretty hard to uncover through all the garbage being spewed in the media.

[CheezWizHed]

The Favre fiasco wasn't just that moment in time either. They let Favre become the beast he ended up becoming. This organization now has two HOF QB situations to look back at and wonder what the heck is going on 1265 Lombardi Avenue?

 

Few teams have ever had two HOF QBs and having them back-to-back is rather unique. But someone else mentioned that it isn't unusual to have a HOF QB not finish with their original team anymore... Favre, Brady, Manning (the good one)... etc. Seems like those end of career years are hard to navigate - probably a bit of advanced mid-life crisis (given the shortness of a football career).

[DuWayne Steurer]

Don't forget Phillip Rivers going to Indy lol

[CheezWizHed]

Don't forget Phillip Rivers going to Indy lol

 

I'd still take him over Manning the Lesser.

 

Joe Montana did too. Seeing Joe in KC red was the weirdest thing I've seen in my life until it was Favre in purple. Technically Brees, but that was before he really played at a HOF level.

[pacopete4]

I know Eli gets pooped on (and it is warranted in some ways) but the man did have some magical playoff runs. It is pretty incredible.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Yeah, I'll give Manning credit for pooping in Brady's Wheaties a couple times as a huge underdog. Once spoiling his undefeated season. Moreso the Giants D just played really well in those games, but Eli didn't choke and made the big throws when he had to.

[CheezWizHed]

His attitude about the draft still bugs me. If his last name wasn't Manning with his father and brother paving the way, he'd been in SD.

 

He was a good QB, but I wouldn't say they won games often because of him. IMO, if Rivers played for the Giants instead, the result would've been about the same.