Oh yes, the war chest of top draft picks has done wonders for Detroit hasn't it? The one thing they have been missing is a MVP QB, strange.....wonder if that has anything to do with their lack of success.

Bearmeat, I agree 100%. It’s an emo piece. In Cory’s world , it’s all Rodgers, all the time. Rodgers decided to prove everybody wrong and play better, etc. Let’s not consider all the things the GM did to improve the team. Let’s not give any credit to LaFleur for putting an offense in place that keeps his QB healthy.

Let’s diminish Love. Pay no attention to the professional scouts and coaches who think he’s a franchise QB. Let’s ignore economic reality. Let’s just stick with Rodgers until it’s completely clear he’s finished. 😜

If we win the Super Bowl, and Rodgers wins the MVP, he’s going to have quite a bit of trade value, and our new QB is going to have a pretty good team around him.

It is hard to imagine having them both back in 2022. Even if QB/GM Rodgers takes a Brady $ cut, could they still keep them both knowing the other contracts that we must keep?

If the Packers win against MIN and DAL lose against the Cards then the #1 seed is locked up.

If that happens then I'd be playing Love in the final week - and it's his job interview.

If after nearly 2 years in a system he can't lead a playoff caliber team to a win over one of the worst teams this year, then something is missing that I'm not sure will be present for a long time (if ever).

What I'm not saying here is that Rodgers should be extended - just whether Love is capable of being a potential franchise (or NFL ready) QB in the immediate future (next 2 years).

...... that's also not saying that he's incapable of having a Rasul Douglas moment in his 4th year and get it....... he just has to show something more than he did against the Chiefs.

Amen

Didn't read TGR's cap article, huh?

Why do you call a voluntary pay cut a "compromise"? Would YOU take a 25% pay cut to keep your coworkers employed? I don't like AR the person, but I totally understand and support his desire for making as much money as he can, while he can. This is what professionals do. As for Brady's "team-friendly approach", I strongly suspect that there was under-the-table money involved, given the nature of the Patriots franchise.

Trading Love at the end of the season would be nuts, if for no other reason than we would have only Benkert as our backup should AR decide to sign for his dead-money value; there's no QB help coming in this year's draft for when AR does retire.

Wow. What a great commentary Nick. I agree with what you are saying and a bit surprised at the down votes.

Dup

Thoughtful comments, Nick. Agree with most of them.

However, I would not trade Love even if Rodgers astonishingly decided to play for a deep home town discount (he won't).

Love is only in year two of a 5 year first round contract. And we still have not seen what his upside is, which I believe is considerable. Yes, he lost to the Chiefs but he was not the reason for the loss. In fact, he outplayed Mahomes.

And agree with you, Gutey and the FO knew the 2022 offseason was going to be a salary cap slog. I do not see either Adams or Rodgers being able to fit into the 2022 cap without completely rebuilding around them with rookies and free agents.

I actually like Aaron Rodgers. After thinking about it, the off-season talk makes more sense now. I respect his stance on many things even when I don’t agree 100%.
The part of the article that promotes trading Love makes sense too because Rodgers has a lot more left in him under Matt. Yet I still think that cap restrictions will be too much to overcome it. But that’s next season and I will enjoy this one for as long as it lasts.

I don't know if AR retires if he can move to a new team that's really only a QB away from challenging for a SB. Heck, that team could be Cleveland, if you think about it, but I doubt he'd want to move even further away from Boulder.

I think there are some goals he'd like to hit:
- Win a second SB - one more than Favre (doesn't have to be with GB)
- Win a fourth MVP - one more than Favre (doesn't have to be with GB)
- Win a fifth MVP
- Take a new team to the SB (unlike Favre's attempt with the Vikings)
- Be considered a better QB than Brady (tough with a Midwest team; I've always considered him to be better than Brady myself)

Obviously, AR could hit the first two goals this year, although the way things are looking at this moment, I'd say that Dallas (yuck) is the best bet to go to the SB from the NFC. He could still win the MVP, though. If AR does hit the first two, he may very well retire IF he thinks he's made enough money. But he's also a huge competitor and, I think, may be a little afraid of boredom after he leaves the game. If so, then he'll want to be traded, but only to a specific sub-set of teams.

The only way we keep AR is if we extend him so that he makes his dead-money amount next year and has no guaranteed years beyond 2022 (maybe, 2023, but that would have to also be for a reduced amount).

Rodgers said one of the reasons he did not report on time was consideration of retirement he claimed was a 50-50 decision for him.

IMO, Retirement is more likely than playing the 2022 season with the Packers.

Very well put! The more and more i go around regarding Aaron (will he stay or go), i have been thinking more about how he would want it. He won't pull a "Brett" and say "trade me to a NFC North foe or NFC team" in order to play the Packers. I agree with you, Aaron might want to do an Elway, win a title, ride off into the sunset, and have played his whole career as a Packer, NOT a Viking or some other team.

How is drafting the QB of the future disrespectful? Was it disrespectful when Ted Thompson shocked the world drafting Rodgers?

"The Packers don't have enough All-Pros"?
Rodgers,
Bakhtiari
Alexander
Z. Smith
Kenny Clark
D. Adams
Mason Crosby

That's seven of 23 players or about 30 percent of the starters are All-Pros either now or before.

"But I can't think of 1 person in p(P)ackers history, that did so much with so little." Partially true and partially false. Older fans will remember the same thing when Favre was QB.
Aaron Rodgers is a great player, but to say this team is nearly untalented belies a 12-3 record and doesn't hold up via the facts.

The Packers don't need to keep anyone to "sell tickets", as you should know if you've been a fan for any length of time.

And how do you propose that GB afford those additional All-Pros you think they need when a QB's salary takes up so much of the cap?

Keep AR at a price he wants and you can forget about this team being relevant for a decade - and, frankly, I don't think Rodgers would want to play in GB with the decimated roster his own salary would require. Personally, I wouldn't want to be known as the guy whose demands forced the team to begin its long descent into mediocrity.

Yep, you ride them to the end of the plateau and off the cliff into the Valley of the Terrible Teams. Say "hi" to your new neighbor, Jets and Jags fans!

How many HOF QBs were winning titles at the end of their careers? Very few.

The decision was made after the 2017 season, when TT was replaced by Gutekunst.

😎Rodgers is extended. This means “we think we can win with Rodgers, and he’ll probably be a good QB for five more years or so…IF we can keep him healthy”

😎We draft Love. This means “we will transition away from Rodgers.” Probably in Love’s 3rd year. That’s 2022.

😎when you’re getting paid millions of dollars to make long term decisions for a half-billion dollar a year business, you don’t change course because Rodgers is playing well. Heck, if the plan was to trade him, it’s a good thing that increases his value.

😎All Things Must Pass. Change is inevitable, and should be embraced. Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.

The challenge is a bit like telling a starving person they can have all the bratwursts they want to eat. There's one catch: the brats are at the top of Mount Everest and you have to get them. Can it be done? Yes. Likely? No.

Rodgers had the same look when he began. The Chiefs well might be the Super Bowl rep from the AFC, so losing to them in KC isn't unimaginable.
If Crosby hits both field goals the score is tied in regulation and anything can happen in overtime.

Instant decisions on limited facts leads to inaccuracy.

Wasn't Love something like 13 of 17 when he wasn't being blitzed? Doesn't sound like "deer in the headlights" to me. MLF's game plan and lack of in-game adjustments was at least part of the problem in that game.

look at his college games...nothing in them says "draft me" like Gutes did...it was a mistake plain and simple. With Love at QB it will be "back to the Gory Years"....watch and see...

It was one game, in Arrowhead, and Love still OUTPLAYED Mahomes.

No one is capable to evaluate a second year player after playing in just one NFL regular season game.

Until the season starts, some of the writers will write articles like "Can the Packers beat out Detroit for third-place in the Division in '22?" and "Gutekunst is in over his head and needs to be fired", with the occasional "QB prospects that GB should draft in the first round" and "QB FAs that GB can afford".

Once training camp starts, we'll see these same writers with articles like "Packers need to start Benkert now" and "Why we should trade Love ASAP".

After the season starts, we'll see articles like "Love doesn't impress in first post-AR start, but we win anyway" and then later in the season "Packers can still win the Division if they do these three things"

And in 2023, they'll all be on the Love train, and they'll have forgotten everything they wrote over the past 2 years.

You must be a Vikings fan

I fully agree. Fans fall in love with the 'now' without thinking of tomorrow.

2021 was 'all in'

2022 might be 'whose left'?

Even without Rodgers or Adams the Packers have a solid core of young players to build on. We might have to eat dirt for awhile to the North Division rivals, but 2023 and beyond will look ok. But if you go 'all in' again in 2022, it might be 'fire everybody' again in 2023.

I wouldn't say rebuild, but there is no way Green Bay can afford to keep Rodgers and Adams without losing the majority of their core players. Don't forget we also have a young core of players that need to be re-signed: Alexander, R. Douglas, Jenkins, Gary, MVS, Tonyan, Savage, etc. Are you willing to let some of them slip away?

Rodgers looked like crap his first year. Am I saying Love will be next Rodgers, no, but let Love be who Love becomes. He could still surprise.

Everyone thinks players can play forever because of Brady, but that's not the norm. It's just a matter of time before father time catches up to Rodgers and Adams. I would rather leave one year early, than one year late. If Denver is willing to give the house for Rodgers and Adams (franchise/trade) - do it. I'm hearing three 1st round picks, Jeudy, Fant, Lock. Lock would be great insurance, Jeudy could grow with Love or Lock. Fant can't block, but he can stretch the seam. Plus, three 1st - who knows who we can get. Gutekunst has done pretty well with 1st round picks.

We should build around Love, keep our young core of players and see what we got. Rodgers is one of the all time greats - but I don't think he would be where he is today without Gutekunst and LaFleur!

As for being in cap hell - well Gutekunst went all in this year for Rodgers, like most of us wanted. Those that understand the cap, knew it was one last chance to keep the band together. Superbowl or bust this year!

Next year, take what you can get, set this team up for the future - hopefully the future is bright.

I find it interesting that you can't even bother to learn how to spell the name of your favorite QB.

AR's covid stance has nothing to do with the fact that we quite literally cannot afford to field a decent team if we re-sign him at a salary commensurate with his talent. If you want to see GB as a "milktoast" (sic) team for years, then by all means re-sign AR at upwards of $30million/year and cut a ton of vets to get under the cap. Good luck winning with AR, Dillon, Alexander (for one last year), and a ton of JAGs.

I'm so sick of the woke mob dragging Caspar Milquetoast into this. Don't we have a moral obligation as critical thinkers to honor the memory of cartoon characters?

Spot on Guam. I'm old enough to remember when Bart Starr left quarterbacking the Packers. The long drought after Starr was in no small part due to really, really lousy personnel decisions and near daily interference by the Executive Board into the workings of the team.

Adams is gone. He can get $26 million on the open market. The Packers can't afford him. That is why this year it is really necessary to finally pick the best WR available high in the draft, followed by one or more edge rushers.

Well stated Guam.

"I think most Packer fans (including myself) would like to see every Packer great including Rodgers and Adams finish their careers in Green Bay. "

I think a lot of people really want to see an ARod playing at his 2011, 2014, 2016 or even 2019 level finish his career in GB. You're not paying a QB for who he will be, but for who he was. Pittsburgh with Ben Roethlisberger or Atlanta with Matt Ryan: prohibitive contracts on players who aren't what they were when they signed the deals.

The old adage "The Numbers don't lie" bolster your take Guam. "The Last Dance" this year is in reality Rodgers playing with Adams, but not next year due to the salary cap. The best scenario for the 2022 Packers: Rodgers resigns with Gute doing his best to hang on to our talent. 2022 will bring a lot of angst and pain, but that's the reality of the salary cap and I hate it.

How would drafting Jefferson have solved the salary cap issues of AR? It sure would've helped with losing Adams next year, though, but my thought is we'll get at least one (and probably several) WRs in the next draft, especially if we do get a decent number of picks for AR.

Yawn.

Why stop with Jefferson? Why not move back further and draft an all-pro DL or TE that they missed on at some point. I'd almost rather hear you bring up TJ Watt--almost.

Sheesh...litigating draft picks in retrospect is about the lowest and least constructive form of analysis.

Hindsight is 20 20.

You would have had to move to #19 and deal with Gruden who whiffed on his two," high" character picks and you would not have Dillon on this squad. They all made the mistake of passing on Jefferson until gifted by Philly to the denizens of the shipwreck on the prairie.
I believe Gutedkunst was waiting on Aiyuk and then Lynch made the deal with Spielman. That's the way it goes.

Monday morning QB! Sure....though Jefferson was my hope in that draft but NO ONE knew he would turn out to be so good!

Oh yeah , almost forgot about Love, if the light hasn’t come on by now, it’s not coming on…trade him for a used bag of kicking balls

Hear here!

Jordan Love, a boatload of draft picks and an opportunity to sign Mariotta to reunite with MLF. Pray for a superbowl and celebrate the last dance. Time to move on.

If your considering trading him. I would just release him first. He's had 2 operations now. The other is his Contract. It will be interesting if he plays this year.

Salary cap for next year is irrelevant? Try telling that to the NFL. And there's absolutely no guarantee that it will "explode" in future years. Yes, it will go up with a new TV contract, but who knows if another black swan event will impact it like covid did these past two years.

AR should get paid a top QB salary, which means we cannot afford him unless he'll play for $19 mil (his dead money) in 2022, with a long-term guarantee. With that, we're only kicking the problem down the road, even with a higher cap. And even if AR agrees to a cheaper salary, we're STILL going to lose good players just to make it under the 22 cap.

From a purely fiduciary aspect, Gute should trade AR for whatever picks he can get, cut whomever he has to to get under the cap, and then use the picks to build for the future.

I would not be surprised if Gute takes a late-round flyer on a QB, just for insurance at backup. Remember, Russell Wilson was picked as a backup and outplayed Matt Flynn, Starr was a 17th round pick (a UDFA in today's league), and IIRC, Unitas was a street free agent. I like Love, but a team must always try for improvement.

"So you extend Adams and Rodgers for 5 more years, spread it out, salary cap goes way up in that time, problem solved."

You just described AR's 2018 contract, and you're now seeing how that philosophy has worked out.

I suggest that you find TGR's salary cap article and read it.

Right, Rodgers has done a great job coaching up young OLmen, Stokes, Douglas, Campbell, Clark, AJ, AJD, Lazard Bojo et al.

Was Rodgers responsible for the losing team performances in 2017, 2018?

I think Matt has a great group of coaches...not all, but for the most part coaches who coach up players and are instilled with confidence and a winning attitude.

Matt is a leader.

You can't separate the two.

I don't understand, how do you separate what's good for team and the management?

Hitting the bullseye again,'61. The 2010 analogy is correct and may I add the 2014 Seattle debacle still kept the golfing foursome teed up at Oneida Country Club. My number one move would be letting Ball take the low road out of covid county and impress Murphy with the benefits of retirement. Bring in Andrew Brandt to run the show. The queens will either be motivated for a chance to compete for a playoff spot ,but I tend to lean the other direction. The weather will be nippy. Let the Pack come out smoking and put up points. Cousins will not be so lucky this time around with the picks. Stay safe, mask up and lead.

"Maybe the answers to these questions are more about what's good for Gute, Ball and Murphy rather than what is good for the Packers?"

Yup.

I don't believe in the seamless transition, but I wouldn't want to be the GM in charge of the fire-sale and subsequent rebuild, either.

You think you're clever setting yourself up as the truth teller with the message people don't want to hear. Hollywood bullshit, that's what that is.

A million people have died because they were fat? Why didn't they die in 2018?

And what does this have to do with the Packers being over the cap or Rodgers being 39 years old? Nothing, that's what.