GREEN BAY PACKERS quarterback Aaron Rodgers has told team officials he is unhappy with the franchise and wants to leave the organisation before next season, ESPN reported on Thursday.
ESPN reported that the reigning NFL MVP had met Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst as well as team president Mark Murphy at various points in the offseason to discuss his future.
Gutekunst told ESPN that the team saw Rodgers as their long-term quarterback.
“As we’ve stated since the season ended, we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond,” Gutekunst told ESPN.
“Aaron has been a vital part of our success and we look forward to competing for another championship with him leading our team.”
The ESPN report came just hours ahead of the NFL Draft, where several teams are planning to recruit quarterbacks.
The San Francisco 49ers, who have the number three pick in Thursday’s Draft, were reported to have contacted the Packers about trading for Rodgers, who grew up in northern California a 49ers fan.
Rodgers’ future in Green Bay had been the subject of intense speculation in the wake of last season’s NFC Championship defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lambeau Field.
Rodgers said at the time his future in Green Bay was “uncertain” before later clarifying the remarks and saying he had been misconstrued.
“Obviously, after the season that I had, and potentially winning MVP and we obviously made another good run, I don’t think that there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be back,” he said at the time.
Relations between Rodgers and the Packers had become strained in the wake of the 2020 Draft, when Green Bay raised eyebrows by swooping for quarterback Jordan Love — assumed to be Rodgers’ successor.
Rodgers was blindsided by the move, later admitting he was not “thrilled” by the move.
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