The Lass Word: Packers Now Feeling the Pain of Rodgers Deal
Team had little choice but to go young.
By KenLass
General Manager Brian Gutekunst has made many moves that turned out to be successes, but his most epic failure is the contract he gave Aaron Rodgers prior to the 2022 season, a deal that haunts the franchise this year more than ever.
In March of ‘22 Gutekunst signed Rodgers to a three year extension worth an NFL record fifty million dollars per year. The future Hall of Fame signal caller was coming off back to back MVP seasons, and Gutey thought retaining his star player would afford the team one last shot at bringing another Super Bowl trophy home to Green Bay.
As we now know, that turned out to be a disastrous miscalculation. Rodgers went on to have one of the worst seasons of his career, the Packers didn’t even make the playoffs and wound up trading their superstar to the Jets. But the massive financial commitment lingers on. Rodgers counts a monolithic forty million dollars in dead money against this year’s cap. Think about that for a moment. Nearly one fifth of Green Bay’s entire player budget is being allotted to someone who is no longer on the team.
It is by far the largest dead cap hit in the NFL this year. The only other player in the same zip code is the retired Tom Brady, who is counting $35 million against Tampa Bay’s cap. The only dead cap hit ever to be higher was Matt Ryan’s $40.5 million burden carried by the Falcons upon trading Ryan to Indianapolis.
One only need look at the Packers final 53 after their roster cutdown on Tuesday to see the continuing impact. As packers.com pointed out, there are four position units on the team on which at least half the players have never taken a snap in a real NFL game. Overall, 19 of the final 53, that’s more than 35 percent, have never played a regular season snap.
It’s the youngest roster in the NFL. In fact, it’s the youngest roster the entire league has seen since 2017. Part of that is Gutekunst’s desire to add speed and youth to an aging locker room, but another significant reason is the cap money to add veteran help was sucked up by the Rodgers dead cap hit. Yes, there is hope the Packers will put a competitive team on the field this season, but how much better could they have been if they could have added, say, a DeAndre Hopkins or a Dalton Schultz? Or a veteran back-up quarterback? Or even if they could have afforded to keep Allen Lazard or Marcedes Lewis? Or Mason Crosby? The team reportedly had interest in trading for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, but even if they had pulled that off there was little money with which to sign him to the new deal he is seeking.
The only reason Green Bay has the prospect of a respectable season this year is because of the smart move by Gutekunst to sign Jordan Love to a one year extension, avoiding the necessity to pick up his far more expensive fifth year option. As a result, Love’s $4.4 million cap hit this year ranks 32nd among quarterbacks in the league, less than players like Sam Darnold, Taylor Heinecke and Tyrod Taylor, who are not even starting for their teams. Even in 2024 Love’s cap hit of $7.7 million will rank 27th. (Figures from overthecap.com)
Within the team, Love has only the tenth highest cap hit on the current roster. If he turns out to be an above average performer at his position, the Packers will be getting a franchise quarterback at a bargain basement price for at least two years.
Even so, if Green Bay is able to field a winning team this season while under the weight of that gigantic Rodgers dead cap hit, then Gutekunst should be executive of the year. The most recent NFL teams to be this young struggled to losing records that were at or near the bottom of the league. We will soon begin to find out if Gutey was able to navigate around his financial limitations to add enough talent to make this team a playoff contender.
Aaron Rodgers may be gone, but his influence on the franchise Is still very much present through the burden of his contract. The good news? After this season, Rodgers’ contract is completely off the books. Green Bay may even have enough money to do a little free agent shopping. That’ll be a strange feeling.
THREE AND OUT
-- Speaking of Rodgers, I let out a gasp when watching his preseason debut last Saturday. On the Jets first possession, Rodgers was flushed out of the pocket. As he threw the ball away he stumbled and fell to the ground in a very awkward way. I immediately had this nightmare of him being injured and unable to start the regular season. Thankfully, he got up and walked off the field okay. We need him to play. We need him to lose a lot of games, but for sure to play.
-- The wild card factor in every season is injuries. We need the injury gods to be kind to the Packers. In particular, keep your fingers crossed the Packers stay healthy at corner and tight end. Those are the two areas in which the team is thinnest and most vulnerable, at least until Eric Stokes comes off PUP.
-- Dontayvion Wicks. You heard it here first.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
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Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.
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Comments (108)
greengold
August 31, 2023 at 03:01 pm
Oh, I beg to differ. We've been feeling this, "pain of the Rodgers deal(s)," for years.
PS. A Packers scout enquired about Taylor, and that is all it was. The Colts are part of the scouting territory he's assigned to. It was his responsibility to as the Colts about their plans for Taylor. People are making too much of this.
PackerAaron
August 31, 2023 at 03:13 pm
There are always three sides to this kind of story. What the team trying to make a trade wants out there, what the team making an inquiry wants out there and then what actually happened.
Rhambo53
August 31, 2023 at 03:15 pm
What actually happened was nothing.
LambeauPlain
August 31, 2023 at 03:19 pm
Three narratives. Only one truth. BG doesn't strike me as a liar. I don't have any credible facts to discount his description of the JT inquiry.
Coldworld
August 31, 2023 at 05:46 pm
You forgot the unofficial representatives and agent’s interests too.
greengold
August 31, 2023 at 06:04 pm
So true. I like our RBs just fine, fine, fine.
LambeauPlain
August 31, 2023 at 03:13 pm
Not a word about MM, Ball and MLF for their support/advocacy/desire for the stupid contract extensions nor not pursuing all that Denver Gold.
To lay the Rodgers contract/cap hades all at Gutey's feet is unfair. The final decision was made by Acting GM, Mark Murphy.
Not sure I agree with your police work there, Ken.
Rhambo53
August 31, 2023 at 03:18 pm
I'd bet the farm Murphy was behind the contract. Gute told us where he was on Rodgers when he drafted Love. The contract made it look like Gute made a mistake drafting Love which makes it hard to believe Gute would shift gears like that.
greengold
August 31, 2023 at 04:56 pm
Heard it all En Fuargo!!! Too good, LP.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Coldworld
August 31, 2023 at 05:59 pm
Particularly as Murphy was the public face of the whole thing and lead cheerleader. Does anyone honestly think (whether you Like the Love pick or the trade) that Gute was driving the annual dance encores?
A year and a half ago on Feb 5th 2022. Murphy wrote in Packers.com that Rodgers “is likely to win his fourth league MVP, is the unquestioned leader of our team.” He went on to say that his team were all in agreement on this and that Russ Ball “will be our most valuable employee this offseason ”because of the extension and the lack of cap space.
There’s little doubt the final dance was a Murphy thing. Since then, and it’s painfully costly unraveling, things appear to have changed. Perhaps these days Murphy doesn’t call all the shots, and this trail of pain is why his acolytes rose up.
stockholder
August 31, 2023 at 06:53 pm
ASSUMPTIONS!
Coldworld
August 31, 2023 at 07:01 pm
No. Not at all. But you do win the Pot, Kettle, Black award.
stockholder
August 31, 2023 at 07:12 pm
Public Relations played into this.
And it still Keeps going to support Gute.
How fast everyone forgot the Brett Favre fiasco.
How Fast all forgot the bad thumbs.
How fast all forgot MLF words. about wanting him.
How Fast Murphy said don't be a problem.
How fast you forgot Rodgers was a union Rep.
How fast you forgot you pay a MVP.
You Hate being Wrong. But your not alone.
LLCHESTY
August 31, 2023 at 08:47 pm
Do the capital letters in the middle of your "sentences" signify you yelling, then not yelling and then yelling again?
Oppy
August 31, 2023 at 11:15 pm
What does Brett Favre have to do to support whatever case you're making?
It's a prime example of a superstar QB becoming a diva, holding a team hostage, and holding a team back.
Bad thumbs? Who cares? Ride pine, then.
You think a coach is going to publicly belittle an MVP QB who is known to have extremely thin skin and hold a grudge? What does that accomplish?
I didn't forget Murphy said "Don't be the problem".. It's a solid indicator that Rodgers actually was, indeed, a big part of the problem. But Murphy was concerned about being remembered as the guy who forced back-to-back HoF QB's out the door. He tried to appease Rodgers with a massive contract last season, but Rodgers kind of ended up forcing his hand in the end, because h still wouldn't play nice.
What do you think being a players union rep has to do with anything? It's not that special. Every team elects a new player union rep every two years... and there's alternate reps on every team as well. So what? Please explain where this fits into your strange smoking gun theory?
We shouldn't have paid this MVP. We should have traded at least a year earlier or simply cut bait. It sure looks like that was Gutekunst's original plan. It seems highly likely that Russ Ball, the contract negotiator who reports directly to Mark Murphy, was answering to Mark Murphy as opposed to Brian Gutekunst for the last handful of "run it back" years. Gutekunst has made a number of thinly veiled comments that reveal he was not enamored with how the cap has been handled. It seems as though the tides have turned, finally, and cap sense (and total control of the roster) may have swung back to Gutekunst, based on the cutting away of dead wood for new growth- something that was entirely hindered by Rodgers' demands to keep aging vets around him.
No one likes being wrong, but most people accept it when it happens. I'm fairly certain I'm not far off about the general events of the last 5-8 years surrounding the Packers and Rodgers.
greengold
September 01, 2023 at 03:03 am
This is dead nuts on, Oppy.
Some Rodgers fans became ardent shills who attempt to wildly distort the facts, endlessly. I, myself, was a fan of Rodgers, and then I saw what he was doing, and felt it took away from our #1 team goal of winning Championships.
What we’ve spent the last 5-6 years witnessing is not new. The troubles began more than a decade ago, leading us to see a 2-Time MVP turn rogue, putting self interests above team interests, co-opting our team to gain himself two more MVPs.
It started when he single handedly ran our best WR, Greg Jennings, out of town. The “problem” compounded further when Rodgers’ favorite WR, Jordy Nelson, was not offered another contract and he left for the Raiders.
From there the wheels fell off and spite ruled the day, culminating in the QB’s worst performances ever to that point, and his insubordination rearing it’s ugly head in more public ways, subsequently running Mike McCarthy out of town.
Enter the clown car routine Oppy so opulently described here.
Tiresome rehashings? You bet. Talk to Ken Lass.
We’re not going to just sit idly by and watch these known histories be rewritten to suit the wanton needs of Aaron Rodgers shills. Screw that. We’re Packer fans.
We are fortunate the greed of Woody Johnson saved the Green Bay Packers from further destruction by Mark Murphy and an overpaid, malcontented Uncle Rico who lost his mobility, his accuracy, and his adherence to furthering TEAM driven goals.
He was paid handsomely to adhere to those. Was he not?
“Let out a gasp,” did you, Ken? When Uncle Rico fell to the ground? He was running for his life already, in less than 1 Quarter of a preseason game. With that OL?
We will most likely be getting an R2 for him, while we watch the New York Jets spiral into the abyss that was once ours.
stockholder
September 01, 2023 at 07:11 am
No it's not dead nuts.- It's Hate.
His crystal Ball is cracked.
Rodgers found he was in a bad relationship.
Like most who change jobs or Colleges.
Charity starts at Home first.
Rodgers was a part owner.
You don't get squeezed when they draft
your replacement.
Rodger's the business man is what you hate.
And so did Gute.
If I'm Rodger's - Whats in it for Me.
Thats the bottom line after Gute drafted Love.
And broke the All-IN.
stockholder
September 01, 2023 at 07:19 am
Rodgers Point-
I'm not washed up.
greengold
September 01, 2023 at 07:33 am
There’s NO HATE.
You equate fans who want TEAM GOALS put before personal goals as such, and that’s plain wrong, SH.
That’s your warped, infantile and ignorant spin. I do not like what he did, but those are the facts, clearly laid out. Am I glad he’s gone? VERY.
You ignore all that Rodgers was known to have done to put himself above the wishes of our team. Your boy threw to Davante Adams and no other WR for an entire 3 Quarters, ignoring others who were wide open, killing our last playoff advancement chances. Couldn’t possibly be a more blatant example… and, you ignore. All of it.
stockholder
September 01, 2023 at 09:53 am
"TEAM GOALS and put himself above the wishes of our team.".
Thats what Gutey did when he drafted Love.
Thats the Flip that "got you guys".
It was on his back to lead. He had No throwing/health issues.
And the obvious was they couldn't afford Bahk and Adams.
Without going after Rodgers pay check.
Thats the obvious. Cheapness.
The goal wasn't the super Bowl.
Adams wanted to be paid.
You don't avoid Defensive holes.
And draft back-ups. The higher the pick.
The more dependent on Gute..
Thats why I always said for the Glory of Gute.
Sure he's got you. Because we're Packer fans first.
As far as throwing to Adams.
I'd throw to a Hall of fame Wr first too.
The others dropped the ball.
greengold
September 01, 2023 at 10:03 am
Bullshit. Rodgers couldn't lead a receiver to save his life for at least the last two seasons. His long ball accuracy disappeared. We all saw it. He lost his wheels too. We all saw it.
Bullshit all over the rest of your garbage here. DA in triple coverage over wide open WRs...
There are receipts, pal. Years worth of receipts are littered all over the fucking place. You can't keep making shit up, stockholder.
Take your "HATE," and shove it straight up your ass.
stockholder
September 01, 2023 at 10:40 am
No Bs - If Love doesn't work out.
What should happen?
Do you keep Gutey in there, so he can spend money?
After all the greatest FA signings didn't bring us a super-bowl
Or do waste money ,careers and break hearts.
This guy could sabotage the packers.
Thats all I want you to see now.
History repeats itself.
Remember the bad years.
No one wants to play for a loser.
And we only succeeded because we had 3 MVP QBs.
coolhand
September 01, 2023 at 09:34 am
ARod sure didn't look an MVP QB in that disastrous loss to the 49ers at Lambeau. It looked to me like he gave up, was cold, and just wanted to go home
stockholder
September 01, 2023 at 10:02 am
They couldn't' stop anyone for 12 years.
You wanted the Hail Mary.
And thats what any good defense can stop.
jannesbjornson
September 01, 2023 at 11:19 am
10 points given up by speacial teams Incompetence and lack of Oversight by the Head Coach, but that seems to be Glossed over by the Fans...
LambeauPlain
September 01, 2023 at 09:55 am
As in "the kettle getting high on pot and blacking out!" (Greg Gutfled)
LLCHESTY
September 01, 2023 at 03:33 pm
Is that the smarmy dude on Fox that thinks he's funny?
SicSemperTyrannis
September 01, 2023 at 04:02 am
I do remember reading all that. I found it very puzzling and couldn't really make out what sort of internal politics & drama lay behind it. This are reasonable deductions.
Guam
September 01, 2023 at 08:06 am
Many thumbs up if I could LP. Ken Lass is usually an insightful author but to lay this travesty at Gute's feet is to ignore all of the obvious public machinations of Murphy during the contract extension period. This mess was made by Murphy and Ball, not Gute.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
September 01, 2023 at 10:56 am
LP,
I so agree with you!!!
Rhambo53
August 31, 2023 at 03:14 pm
This team will be better than the naysayers think. The Packers missed the playoffs with Rodgers last year. They can do that good without him. The Packers were an 8-9 team last season. I think they'll have a better record this year.
murf7777
August 31, 2023 at 03:33 pm
Old, ever debated, Turn the page!
Minniman
August 31, 2023 at 03:38 pm
At the end of last season the Packers lost a "win and you're in" game..... to the Lions...... at Lambeau field!!!
That team (primarily offense) had to be overhauled. period.
Based on how close they came the year before (thwarted only by a special teams fiasco), one last throw was an obvious choice........ but no-one thought that they would finish so meekly (Rodgers was healed by then)..... so yeah, I may sound like a Gute apologist, but a performance like that was not in anyone's conscious mind in 2022.
FYI, the "65% of snaps" milestone to elevate clauses in the Rodgers contract from a second to a first round pick is about Sunday 3rd December Jets vs Falcons....... unless Salah decides to play fast forward tempo for the last 6 games!
Finally, Ken, if Love pans out, no-one will care about the financial decision you just spoke of - if he doesn't, then everyone will - but it was time to let go of Rodgers.
SicSemperTyrannis
September 01, 2023 at 04:07 am
Minniman,
Rogers was not healed by his last game as a Packer. His broken thumb? Maybe. His ribs? No way.
Everyone ignoring that injury 100% will always baffle me. It's so painful you don't sleep for at least weeks, if not months. That doesn't exactly speed up your mental processing.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
September 01, 2023 at 11:02 am
Sic,
Come on...Ayahuasca killed whatever mental processing Rodgers might have had. 😀
splitpea1
August 31, 2023 at 03:43 pm
It's all water under the bridge. Think long-term! Was Schultz or Hopkins going to get us to the Super Bowl in a rebuilding year with a new starting QB? Or retaining Lewis and Crosby? No, I am happy we have the youngest team in the league, and it's a great base from which to move forward from. Remember we also get at least an extra second-round pick (fingers crossed that turns into a first) and three comp picks in Rounds 5-6. So we should have no problem filling in those obvious need areas with more young talent. If Love turns in a solid first season, the arrow is pointing up for this franchise for the foreseeable future.
GregC
August 31, 2023 at 04:50 pm
Agreed. No doubt the Rodgers deal was a terrible one, but when Ken listed the players we could've had with more cap room, there was not a single one that I wanted, not even if they were cheap. Credit to Gute for wriggling out of that horrible predicament without the budget completely imploding, and he even got some draft ammo to bring in new talent.
PatrickGB
August 31, 2023 at 03:55 pm
I was about to have a sigh of relief thinking about having more money available on the cap next year. Then I remembered that both running backs Bahk, Gary and a few others might be a big hit on next years cap. My hope that the new TV deal increases the cap significantly.
Packers2020
August 31, 2023 at 04:50 pm
Bak is gone next year. We save 21M if we release him.
We save 5M if we release Jonesy. We might just do that depending on how he performs this year.
We save 3M if we release Preston Smith. We may just do that if Van Ness shows up.
My point is we have options next year. We will be fine.
Bitternotsour
August 31, 2023 at 06:55 pm
It's almost as though they have a plan!
Tater
September 01, 2023 at 10:11 am
If we release these players next year as you suggest, that would create 45.5M in dead money in 2024 leaving us in a similar situation as this year.
Bak = 19.1M
Jonesy = 12.4M
P. Smith = 14.0M
SicSemperTyrannis
September 01, 2023 at 04:11 am
Yes, next year's cap dilemma is little better. I doubt we can keep everyone we want, much less be able to sign a star FA.
2025? Hopefully the situation's improved by then ...
TarynsEyes
August 31, 2023 at 04:01 pm
So, Rodgers is the Trump card, here at CHTV.
13TimeChamps
August 31, 2023 at 04:30 pm
Aaron Rodgers is the QB of the historically dismal NY Jets. Jordan Love is the QB of the GB Packers.
Nice try bringing politics into this.
TarynsEyes
August 31, 2023 at 06:52 pm
Not political, but a simple analogy.
jurp
August 31, 2023 at 04:20 pm
Given thee Packers' corporate structure, I will never in a million years believe that Gutekunst thought that extending Rodgers was the right thing to do. That was ALL on Murphy.
HarryHodag
August 31, 2023 at 04:32 pm
The same folks condemning the Packers for the Rodgers deal would be the first to complain now if Rodgers was still here and grousing around.
I also thought the latest deal was ridiculous. I was ready to trade him to the Raiders for Carr way back. But the fan base didn't want to lose Rodgers, either. Missing from the article was the not-so-subtle threat by His Darkness that he would retire. In that instance the Packers would have the cap hit without anything in return.
I really don't think it's productive in any form to talk about Rodgers any more. I know it generates hit to the website, but really? There are many questions about this team, but I like the attitude. I also like seeing better defense and special teams with fingers crossed the offense scores just enough.
PatrickGB
August 31, 2023 at 04:54 pm
Yah, I am so over that.
TheKanataThrilla
August 31, 2023 at 04:58 pm
I like the mentioning of the large financial burden of Rodgers (as well as a few others not mentioned no longer on the team) on our Salary cap for this season. This should be made clear to people and appreciated when they give their analysis of Love's performance this season. It is certainly hard enough to evaluate a guy with a bunch of rookies and second year players, let alone not having over 20% of the salary cap available to the roster due to dead cap responsibilities. It is one of the reasons I flip-flop so much on the trading of Bakh. I think it makes sense to get something for him with this youth movement, but with so many strikes against a proper evaluation of Love as a starter it just seems a bit overkill to remove one of the best LTs in the league protecting him.
I do think the contract extension of Rodgers was more of outside interference by Murphy and others than a Gute decision. Whether or not we will ever get everyone's opinion of the extension and possible non-trade to Denver I guess we can only hope.
SicSemperTyrannis
September 01, 2023 at 04:25 am
Kanata,
Bakh is a very unusual situation! This year, Bakh and Nijman are starting caliber OTs, with Mt Caleb and Walker as capable second stringers. It makes too much sense to move Tom to C.
If Nijman can't switch sides without a drop in performance, it makes sense to keep him at RT if you train both Jones and Walker for it and have them compete for the second string behind Bakh.
People are assuming Nijman has fallen into some degree of disfavor and while it has looked like that, it's completely inexplicable. Hopefully this all means they've just been evaluating players and grouping's, which is exactly what the preseason is for.
This looks exactly like they're trying to figure out the best move for next year, and what to do in case (God forbid) Bakh goes down for the season. Personally, I think it makes sense to not have Bakh play at all in the 5 games on artificial turf. He hates it, and whether it's real or not, the placebo effect is enough to increase his risk of injury. He's already said he knows his contract next year has to be changed, if GBP cater to him they can both get a hometown discount and extend his career.
That's my .02 anyway, I'm not at all making any prediction about what they'll actually do, it just seems sensible to me.
PackfanNY
August 31, 2023 at 05:02 pm
We have what appears to be a young hungry team. Time to look forward to what may be instead of back at what was. Jordan Love is getting the opportunity to guide the ship. No idea how it will turn out but I am all in on the start of a new era of Packers football.
CheeseEdWest2
August 31, 2023 at 05:23 pm
Ken, can you clarify what AR actually gets paid from that cap hit? Is it money he already got paid? Most of the stories about cap hits fail to talk about that part.
Good to hear the Rodgers cap is done this year. To me, Rodgers salary demand was evidence right then that he wasn't happy in GB, and trying to buy his loyalty--which was an iffy prop. And selfish on his part. He and management both had to know how that would burden the team while he was there and make it hard to bring in supporting talent. And more about him wanting money to satisfy his ego.
A while back, Nagler mentioned that AR would/might renegotiate the Packers contract to ease the hit, but I never heard a word about it after that. Then AR went and redid the contract passed along to the Jets. But he didn't rework the current year contract for the Pack?
Coldworld
August 31, 2023 at 06:28 pm
It’s perorated bonuses paid last year, chiefly a signing bonus , but that qualify to be spread over the term of the extension, some of which was accelerated into this year when he was traded.
Because we don’t have him on the roster right now, the second, 60 odd million did not kick in and we’re not paid, but you can’t wipe the amounts already paid off the cap books.
He subsequently reworked his contract with the Jets to make it more palatable for them by enabling them to spread their hit more evenly until the expiration in 2027. That enabled them to make signings around him.
SicSemperTyrannis
September 01, 2023 at 04:55 am
Wait, NY inked a 5 year deal with AR? I find that laughable! I'm not saying it's incorrect, I'm just saying nobody expects him to keep playing until he's 44. If he makes it this year and next, that'd be doing a LOT.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 01, 2023 at 08:18 pm
All $40M in dead money is for cash paid to Rodgers for previous seasons. The Packers paid Rodgers nothing ($0.00 - no cash) for 2023.
The Packers paid Rodgers $41.95M for the 2022 season, which would be 9th highest in today's QB market.
BAMABADGER
August 31, 2023 at 05:34 pm
Isn't our moto AGNFB??? Stop putting this beast in reverse!
GPG!
SicSemperTyrannis
September 01, 2023 at 04:56 am
Against Going Nowhere Foot Ball seems like an awkward motto ...
ImaPayne
August 31, 2023 at 06:34 pm
I quote famous last words on his departure: "ettu bruti", "let it be"," alas poor yorick", "da ba da ba da ba that's alllll folks", "'l'll be back", "A small step for man, a huge dump for mankind", "frankly my dear,I don't give a dam"
LeotisHarris
August 31, 2023 at 07:51 pm
"frankly my dear,I don't give a dam"
Deep and underappreciated historical dive here by our friend Fubared. Most people don't know Rhett Butler was referring to the construction of the Augusta Canal, which connected the city of Augusta to the Savannah River. This canal included the construction of several locks and dams, primarily for navigation and industrial use. None of the dams were given to the cities by Mr. Butler.
LLCHESTY
August 31, 2023 at 08:53 pm
Why would two people down vote this semi brilliance?
greengold
September 01, 2023 at 02:08 am
Key word: semi
LOL
Oppy
August 31, 2023 at 11:25 pm
Leotis, you are my spirit animal
stockholder
August 31, 2023 at 06:45 pm
The Lie that never Dies.
Coldworld
August 31, 2023 at 07:04 pm
Which one if your “truths” was that?
stockholder
August 31, 2023 at 07:15 pm
Answered above.
Coldworld
August 31, 2023 at 07:34 pm
Don’t listen to those voices.
stockholder
August 31, 2023 at 08:39 pm
I listened to the pay cut Rodgers took
But Gute didn't.
Coldworld
August 31, 2023 at 11:28 pm
“I saw that I’d get nowhere on the straight path, and that to go crookedly was straighter.” Nikolai Gogol, Dead Souls
Oppy
August 31, 2023 at 11:56 pm
Rodgers doesn't take that pay cut with the Packers.
He's doing PR damage control in NY.
I don't know if you noticed, but he also has taken steps to hang out with younger players, did elective workouts and other off season work, and played in a preseason game- all things he wouldn't do up until he felt the need to try and prove to the world he's not the problem.
stockholder
September 01, 2023 at 06:35 am
He offered---
but there was No contact about the roster.
Gute didn't converse on it.
And he then wanted out.
He didn't want to be part of the rebuild.
Thats just a fact.
You don't converse to make that point
He had enough of Gute, No doubt about that.
coolhand
September 01, 2023 at 10:06 am
Aaron thin skin was pissy since the team drafted Love. Why would be upset about it? He was the starting QB and no rookie was going to take his job. He then caused trouble on draft day which if I was the GM, I would have tried to move him right then. Then he goes into how he didn't like how some friends of his were treated by the team. I wonder if he will be the same in NY when guys get cut or released. You did see what Cobb had to say in public about warning the WR room, didn't you? MVP or not, he has shown he's not a great teammate.
pantz_bURp
August 31, 2023 at 07:02 pm
What an exciting and interesting season awaits Packer fans. I will be cheering them on with a steaming bowl of chili in one hand and a cold one in the other.
I just want to see how this team executes around #10 and Coach LaF's game plan. I am more at ease we have that lil' Italian dude coaching STs and the attitude of #10 so far.
That's all I got...,said the same thing on prom night. :(
Peace and GPG!
Yours truly,
PBurp
marpag1
August 31, 2023 at 07:32 pm
Feeling the pain? This must be the very best and most glorious kind of pain that I've ever felt.
The Bears haven't had an NFL-level quarterback on their roster since the Bronze Age, and we're calling Gutey's dealing with Rodgers an "epic fail?" Wow. That sounds more like one Packer fan's "epic entitlement" than it does an epic failure.
If Love plays anything like his preseason seems to indicate, then Gutey will have pulled off a much, much, MUCH better transition than anybody could ever have reasonably expected, and no one will give a pinch of dog doody about some dead cap money. Let's see how that shakes out before we castigate Gutey for his "disastrous miscalculation."
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
September 01, 2023 at 11:09 am
Well said Marp!
The_Baloney_Stops_Here
August 31, 2023 at 07:40 pm
Got my tickets to both Bears games and the Chiefs game. Gonna be a hell of a year. Just win baby.
Arock
August 31, 2023 at 08:38 pm
The level of copium on this site has reached epic levels. The Packers are going to suck for the next 3-4 years. We vacated dominance of the North when we shipped out Rodgers. Hopefully, when Murphy retires, Ball and Gutekunst get shown the door as well, and we can get a competent Front Office in place to be competitive by 2027-2028.
coolhand
September 01, 2023 at 10:10 am
How do you stay competitive when 3 or 4 guys take up 50% of the cap? If they kept ARod, Adams, and Bakh, and even Jones, that's half the cap. They would have only rookies and cast offs left since they couldn't pay anyone else.
DragonSilk
August 31, 2023 at 08:55 pm
The three undrafted players, Wilson, Cox, and Heath could become the greatest undrafted class in NFL history. They could all be starters next year. To have them on rookie contracts for four years would more than make up for any cap problems caused by Rodgers.
On a side note isn't it sickening that after all the $$$ Gutey gave #12 he acts like he peed in his Cheerios.
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou
September 01, 2023 at 11:11 am
Repeat after me...Ayahuasca...Ayahuasca...Ayahuasca!
WestCoastPackerBacker
August 31, 2023 at 09:37 pm
You’re the general manager of a highly successful football team, and your Hall of Fame talent at quarterback just won back to back MVPs. So what do you do then, trade him? It’s only in hindsight that we can judge the deal. You can’t argue that he didn’t earn it. You can’t look into a crystal ball and see that the only credible receiving talent would bail for his home team, and you can’t see that said Hall of Fame talent will play with a broken finger much of the season. Any other GM in the league would do the same given the situation, and the proceeding two seasons.
SicSemperTyrannis
September 01, 2023 at 05:07 am
Everybody forgets about AR's rib injury, which was a MUCH bigger deal than his thumb. But yes, thinking he could've been traded after '21 is just hindsight / Monday morning armchair general stuff.
Since'61
August 31, 2023 at 09:52 pm
Murphy said "We're not idiots." That when I knew it was to go bad with Rodgers and the salary cap. I posted the same at that time. Since then I have had little confidence that the same FO that created this mess can get the Packers out of it. Instead what they have done is create a situation that gets them through until Murphy retires.
Hopefully by the 2025 season this team will have evolved into a serious playoff contender deep into the post season. If not when Murphy retires it will be time to clean house in the FO. We can't fix our salary cap in 2023 so why bring it up. The time to create a salary cap solution was before the Packers gave Rodgers his huge contract. That was the time to make the trade for him. But "We're not idiots." So here we are. What's done is done.
For now I'm happy to enjoy the journey we're about to embark on in 2023. One play, one game at a time. Thanks, Since '61
stockholder
August 31, 2023 at 09:59 pm
You only have to look at Sherman and TT
to know what should happen.
1 season of losing is all it will take.
Johnblood27
August 31, 2023 at 11:46 pm
can CHTV fire you if the Packers lose?
If so I look forward to 8-9...
Oppy
August 31, 2023 at 11:40 pm
The salary cap issues were initiated a few years before "we're not idiots" with the initiation of the "run it back" campaign that lasted three seasons.
In an attempt to appease a disgruntled and increasingly demanding Rodgers, Russ ball started performing financial gymnastics by renegotiating contracts of aging players with bloated contracts by back-loading or adding void years, essentially stealing from the future cap to keep players who probably should have been released in favor of restocking the cupboard with young, ascending talent on much more manageable contracts.
Gutekunst was in no way a fan of this style of cap management, but since Russ Ball reports directly to Mark Murphy as opposed to Brian (a situation that makes zero sense), hands are tied.
It seems something finally gave way and perhaps Gutekunst is finally in control of the roster in all facets, or perhaps Ball (Murphy) finally had to concede that band-aids and financial trickery were no longer sustainable. 2023 is a watershed moment for health of the cap. Look at the roster- young and talented in a way we haven't seen in near 20 years, and the cap will be rounding back into shape shortly.
I agree that Mark Murphy's retirement will be a momentous occasion that can't come soon enough. He did a lot of great things business wise to secure the financial stability of the Packers for years to come, but he just couldn't keep his hands out of the football cookie jar. I believe the Packers need to ensure the next president is strictly business, with a clear delineation from any football background. While it probably looks tempting on paper to have a President who was a player and has extensive sports management background, I believe the Harlan model of leaving all football decisions to the General Manager is a wise one and most of the negatives we've seen out of the front office in the last 20 years came about from Murphy dabbling with the football side of things.
Get him out and let the GM do his job.
Johnblood27
August 31, 2023 at 11:47 pm
God bless you Oppy...
greengold
September 01, 2023 at 02:00 am
B R A V O !!!
marpag1
September 01, 2023 at 07:51 am
OK. Can't argue. I just remember a whole lot of Cheeseheads at that time who were bitching about Gutey because they wanted Gute to be EVEN MORE "all in" than you're describing. Damned if you do and damned if you don't, I guess.
But again, it's the end result that matters. If Love transitions well into the NFL then it will be funny watching all the aforementioned Cheeseheads bow the knee to King Gutekunst. Yeah, maybe Gutey could have let Rodgers go a year earlier. Was Love ready at that time? Would shoving an unready Love into the fray back then have wrecked his development? Who of us is qualified to make that call?
stockholder
September 01, 2023 at 10:22 am
There wasn't anybody rolling their eyes with that draft.
The draft grades reflected that! Love ???????????
Seriously.
Rodgers was vocal about the defense
when told to shut-up.
Just stop pretending.
The packers only cared about spending money.
No job would have been safe if it wasn't for Rodgers.
LambeauPlain
September 01, 2023 at 08:25 am
^^^Hand in glove with my sentiments and those of many here.
After MM gets his gold watch, recruit more of a Bob Harlan leader, less of an ex football player/visions of grandeur as NFL owner type role/inability to delegate to talented people/selfish need to be the face of the organization.
Bob Harlan was delighted to let the Wolfman run the football operation. Ron got the spotlight and associated appreciation but also the arrows.
MM started along Harlan's successful legacy, made a change to management by committee when Ted was fading...and enjoyed being the Acting GM to a fault and some very poor, consequential football decisions.
coolhand
September 01, 2023 at 10:14 am
It's like Murphy thinks he's Jerry Jones.
jannesbjornson
September 01, 2023 at 11:17 am
They all received Contract extensions, thanks to Rodgers. Now the escape clause with the excuses machine to keep their salaries in place. Gutedkunst and Ball were not the correct pieces to propel another SB appearance and quest for the Lombardi Trophy. That much is clear. The over-sized replica squatting in the Atrium is tasteless.
LeotisHarris
September 01, 2023 at 03:43 pm
"The over-sized replica squatting in the Atrium is tasteless."
I had similar feelings about the giant Lombardi Trophy, but you must remember this is the Great Midwest. Gerald, Myra and the grandkids will drive waaaay out of their way to see the giant bottle of ketchup in Illinois, and the world's largest ball of twine in Kansas is like a powerful magnet. The world's largest man-made turtle resides in North Dakota (take my hand, we'll make it if we can!). Corn Palace; they're on their way! There's even a giant frying pan in Iowa. And, Paul Bunyan statues? Whoo weee, we got 'em!
Think of the towering Lombardi Trophy at 1265 as just another roadside attraction. That should unclench whatever you may have clenched. Don't forget to shop at the Packer Pro Shop!
jannesbjornson
September 01, 2023 at 07:01 pm
I see you follow Zippy the Pinhead...or Tom Robbins.
LeotisHarris
September 01, 2023 at 07:15 pm
Haven't thought of Zippy for a long time! Yes, big Robbins fan.
croatpackfan
September 01, 2023 at 02:06 am
Ken, some of your articles were excellent, some good, but this article is completely unnecessary and wrong from the beginning.
Do you follow Packers at all? Do you read official statements? I'm asking you that because in this article you described scheme of operations of FO that completely neglect year of TT retirement and proclamations Mark Murphy were doing since than. First he announce himself as the decision maker in order, by his words, to remove silos between GM and HC. And how he did it? by constructing the 3rd silo (Russ Ball). He put himself to position that all of 3 "silos" reporting to him and remove any part of job from GM title except constructing the roster. He was/is the one who hires GM, HC and SC handler and none of those 3 position have any authorities to oversight and direct each other. He proclaim himself GM of FO and announced his deputies for team, roster and players/coaches contracts.
Sometime at the end of the last year or in the beggining of this year he made step back, claiming that those 3 deputies just reports him once per month and that he had/have no influence on their work. That is everything you need to know. That last statement was admittion of his failure as actual GM of football operations.
So, when you try to put all idiotic decisions on Brian Gutekunst back, you should inform yourself about real structure in the football operations. Mark Murphy picked MLF, Mark "we are not idiots" Murphy decided not to trade FPQB after 2021 season, Mark Murphy decided to give huge contract to FPQB, Mark Murphy tried to hide himself now because of those idiotic decisions behind statement that he just overviewing their jobs.
This article is at the level of Mark Murphy's decisions last 5-6 seasons.
I'm dissapointed!
Go Pack Go!
Johnblood27
September 01, 2023 at 08:14 am
Tell us how you really feel Croat!
croatpackfan
September 01, 2023 at 10:31 am
Regarding Packers team? Delightful!
Regarding this article? Disapointed!!!!!
Is that clear? Crystal clear?
lou
September 01, 2023 at 05:33 pm
What I would like to know is how the 7 Person Executive Committee voted to allow Murphy to put the structure back in place that failed the team for 25 years before Harlan changed it by bringing in Ron Wolf and revamping the structure which led to success overall only bettered by the New England Patriots during Ted Thompson's run as GM. Not only how they voted but did they do the due dilligence to make their decisions and most importantly will they consider putting it back the way it was when they hire a new team President or let the new guy make the call - whatever it is decided better be the right one because it is the key to future success.
CheesedDeadHead
September 01, 2023 at 06:22 pm
"What I would like to know is how the 7 Person Executive Committee voted to allow Murphy to put the structure back in place that failed the team for 25 years before Harlan changed it by bringing in Ron Wolf and revamping the structure which led to success overall only bettered by the New England Patriots during Ted Thompson's run as GM. "
When they did it back in 2018, I am sure MM convinced the EC that they would lose Russ Ball if Gute was made the GM with authority over Ball and the new HC hire. At that time I believe there was some evidence that Ball had significant "talent" that was critical to the team. In the ensuing 5 years it's become clear that every team has a "CAP Specialist" that seems to have the same capabilities that Ball has and he is no longer a unique or hard to replace commodity. What part of the Rodgers extension and the other "kicking the can down the road" contract manipulations are so unique that it would indicate Ball is one of only a few at the top of his profession? Ball's window of being "special" has passed and any threat he might leave is no more dangerous than a fart in the wind.
stockholder
September 01, 2023 at 05:16 pm
Rodgers has compared being a member of the Jets
to waking up inside of a "beautiful dream.
4 packers are on the jets-
Bet they use the Statue of Liberty
Cobb not Reed
Turner not Newman
Lazard not Doubs
Amos not Ford
LeotisHarris
September 01, 2023 at 06:03 pm
I'm thrilled the Jets have won the preseason, and that Aaron has found temporary Nirvana. The thing with dreams though, especially ones that seem beautiful, is they're fluid, and sometimes you wake because there's something terrifying at the end...
..."Aaron, did you ever in your wildest dreams think this team would start 0-4? After Denver, you have the Eagles coming to town. Thoughts? ..."
Oppy
September 01, 2023 at 08:49 pm
Cobb not reed?
Put down the pipe, stockholder.
Even without seeing Reed take a regular season snap, I'm taking Reed over Cobb.. even Cobb from 4 years ago.
canadapacker
September 01, 2023 at 06:08 pm
I know that we are going to have growing pains with Love. But in watching AR and Love in preseason game 3 - Love is much better in and getting out of the pocket. Now AR will still get it done - as long as he gets the ball out and doesnt get killed with the Jets poor Oline. Probably have more INT's as he wont be protected and will throw it not to get hit. Now as far as the cap hit is concerned =that is somewhat due to the trade and the moving the salar down the road to sign others. That and Z's cap hit are going to hurt this year but hopefully the biggest kick in the butt is over. It always hurt more when players who are out of the league or are not playing for your team. TT always managed to have little dead cap - but he also would cut or trade players before paying them big salaries and sometimes maybe GB didnt field as competitive winning team as possible. And maybe Favre and AR would have won more Superbowls had he managed his roster better = but that is a debate for another time.
CanPackFan
September 01, 2023 at 06:46 pm
My God, Rodgers is gone. Yes, it's too bad that MM had to push that stupid contract on us. But what's done is done. We have to live with the financial consequences this season. I, for one, am excited to see a younger and faster team! And frankly, if anyone can put together a competitive team on fewer dollars, it's Gutes. Yes, there is going to be mistakes that veterans don't make. But then again, maybe younger and stronger players will make plays that older veterans cannot do anymore? Just have to manage our expectations and ignore the silly hype articles. GPG
Cheeseheadinseattle
September 02, 2023 at 11:11 am
Manager of the year???? Gutekunst should be shown the door. Green Bay wouldn't be in this mess if not for him. Inability to connect on a human level with Rodgers is why he's playing for the Jets. Refusing to step in and fire a clearly ineffective DC is another contributing factor. Unfortunately I don't have any power to unite with other shareholders and hold him accountable. I hope Rodgers gets another ring and Gutekunst finally realizes what happened and the part he played in it.
LeotisHarris
September 02, 2023 at 09:38 pm
" Unfortunately I don't have any power to unite with other shareholders and hold him accountable."
Damn, I sure miss fangirl. She could help you confront your learned helplessness.
Cheeseheadinseattle
September 02, 2023 at 11:13 am
Manager of the year???? Gutekunst should be shown the door. Green Bay wouldn't be in this mess if not for him. Inability to connect on a human level with Rodgers is why he's playing for the Jets. Refusing to step in and fire a clearly ineffective DC is another contributing factor. Unfortunately I don't have any power to unite with other shareholders and hold him accountable. I hope Rodgers gets another ring and Gutekunst finally realizes what happened and the part he played in it.