Aaron Rodgers went radio silent on Packers in offseason before trade request, GM suggests
Rodgers said he intends to play for the New York Jets in 2023
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aaron Rodgers is in limbo until the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets figure out the right compensation to make a deal.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst explained the organization’s thinking on a potential deal for the four-time NFL MVP and said he even reached out to the quarterback multiple times before being told by his representatives he wanted a trade.
Gutekunst said he and Rodgers met after the team failed to make the playoffs during the 2022 season, and the general manager planned to have more talks during the offseason, but it never came to fruition.
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Aaron Rodgers, #12 of the Green Bay Packers, warms up prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field on Nov. 17, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
"Those never transpired," Gutekunst said. "So there came a time where we had to make some decisions, so we went through his representatives to try to talk to him (about) where we were going with our team. And at that point, they informed us that he would like to be traded to the Jets."
Rodgers told a different story during his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" earlier this month. Rodgers said he wished the Packers told him early in the offseason they planned to move him. He also said that after he returned from his darkness retreat last month, he "heard from multiple people that I trust around the league — players mostly –— that there was some shopping going on, that they were interested in actually moving me."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The Packers would like to move on," Rodgers said. "They’ve let me know that in so many words. They’ve let other people know that in direct words."
Aaron Rodgers, #12 of the Green Bay Packers, drops back to pass against the New York Jets at Lambeau Field on Oct. 16, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (John Fisher/Getty Images)
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Gutekunst said he wanted to have more conversations with Rodgers to see how he fit into the team’s plans for 2023.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"(With) 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 kind of reach out and, understanding that a trade could be possible and see who was interested," he said.
Gutekunst was asked about the possibility of Rodgers playing for Green Bay in 2023.
"I think right now all options are on the table. It’s not trending that way, and we’re very hopeful we can facilitate this (trade) and get this accomplished. But he’s come back under certain circumstances before where maybe he wasn’t the happiest with everything that was going on and played very well. So we’ll just kind of see how all of this transpires.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Aaron Rodgers, #12 of the Green Bay Packers, walks onto the field prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field on Nov. 17, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
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"I think it’s trending hopefully in the right direction for what everybody wants, and we can conclude this hopefully."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.