For the second year in a row, the Green Bay Packers came to just one game in the Super Bowl. Although the 31-26 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship was certainly not how Green Bay wanted to end the season, things got even more complicated during post-game press conferences, when quarterback Aaron Rodgers told the reporters that his future was “uncertain.”
Rodgers set up an MVP campaign in 2020, when he completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns and launched just five interceptions. The Packers went 13-3 and beat NFC North for the second straight season, but now, suddenly, it seems that Rodgers may be trying to prove something to the Packers. What happened? A former teammate of his believes that Rodgers is still upset with the team and wants to make them pay.
Former offensive Packers striker TJ Lang, who is apparently close to Rodgers, joined WXYT’s “The Ticket” on Monday and said he believes Rodgers is “determined to take revenge” on the property.
“I think he was very upset when they took Jordan Love a year ago,” said Lang, via Radio.com. “The only thing I will say about Aaron Rodgers, basically in the last 10 years of his career, he wanted the team to just go all-in for a year. ‘Just give me a few pieces, let’s move all-in, let’s negotiate a future first, if we need some guys. Let’s go all-in and try to win this thing. ‘
“And then, last year, he suggested they do this, ‘Hey, I’m excited, let’s see who they can bring’, and they brought a quarterback. I think it was the slap in the face when you feel like you’re one step closer to winning the whole thing. “
While the Packers were supposed to be in “win now” mode, some of the moves they made in the past off season reflected just the opposite. As Lang pointed out, the Packers used their choice of the first round in a quarterback – which was definitely a position in which they did not need an update. The other position group that did not require a high draft choice was running back, but the Packers decided to use their second selection on the running back AJ Dillon at Boston College. Many fans shouted for Green Bay to take a chance on a wide receiver in what was thought to be one of the deepest draft in recent history when it came to talented wideouts. Even with their last two choices in the seventh round, the Packers chose not to choose a receiver. The Packers could also have shot someone like Antonio Brown or exchanged for another key offensive piece, but, unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
Rodgers is under contract with Green Bay until 2023, but now that he is 37 and the Packers have failed to overcome the hurdle to get back to the big game, the future Hall of Fame may be looking to have more control over what the Packers do in the front office.
“I think he’s going to make them pay, man,” said Lang. “I think he’s going to want some kind of new deal that will guarantee him a few more years, in terms of security, to be in Green Bay. I don’t think he wants to go anywhere, but I think he’s going to hold on to the fire and say, ‘Hey, if you’re going to keep me around, A) you’re going to pay me and B) you’re going to bring some players that I want to play with, where we can take this next leap. “
The Packers have been one of the elite NFL teams for the past two years, and Rodgers wants at least one more Super Bowl win to add to his impressive resume. Lang hypothesizes that Rodgers’ mysterious quote after Green Bay’s latest loss signals that he will want the franchise to start doing things his own way.
“Aaron Rodgers, sitting in the driver’s seat now, leaving a year of MVP,” said Lang. “He can just sit and plan his future any way he wants, and a lot of guys don’t have that authority or advantage.”
At least one team reportedly contacted the Packers about the possible acquisition of Rodgers, but the front line declined. Rodgers seems to be looking for a change, but that doesn’t mean wearing a different uniform.