The 2020 NFL season saw Aaron Rodgers, the star quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, pick up the MVP award for the league as he had a stunning season. However, Green Bay may be about to lose their star player, as reports suggest that the 37-year-old is unhappy and likely to quit the Wisconsin side ahead of the 2021 NFL season.
General Manager Brian Gutenkust has stated that Rodgers remains an integral part of the team, but the management have been aware of his disgruntlement, and Gutenkust, head coach Matt LaFleur and team president Mark Murphy have all flown out on separate occasions to meet him and try and change his mind. Green Bay are also firmly turning down any trade requests from other NFL franchises, with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams both having enquired about the reigning MVP. His annoyance with the team dates back to the beginning of last season, when Green Bay landed a quarter-back in the draft with their first-round pick, which he took as a sign that his place in the team was under threat. While that did not turn out to be the case, Rodgers is said to still be annoyed with the side and with changing personal circumstances as well, having recently gotten engaged, he thinks this is the perfect time for a new chapter in his sporting life.
Green Bay fans will be desperately hoping that they can keep hold of the 37-year-old, and this is likely to have an impact on the betting markets as well, with sites such as www.sportfogadas.net seeing a lot of traffic on bets regarding where Rodgers will end up for the 2021 NFL season. No NFL player has ever been traded immediately after winning the MVP award, and Green Bay will not want to be the first to set that dubious record. Rodgers did reportedly receive a $6.8 million roster bonus as scheduled in March of this year, although it could have been converted into a signing bonus that would have freed up more than $4.5 million towards Green Bay’s salary cap, so we do not yet know if the franchise tried to activate this and he refused, or whether it was not an issue at all.
Rodgers has felt unvalued at Green Bay for a while now, culminating in that draft pick drama, and it would not be a surprise to see him turn out for a different franchise in the new season. Green Bay did win the NFC North Division for the second consecutive year, but then lost to eventual Super Bowl LV winners Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship match. This was their second consecutive loss at this stage, having fallen to the 49ers last year, and while Green Bay remain the most successful NFL team with 13 titles, they have only won four Super Bowls since the beginning of the Super Bowl era, with their last one coming in 2010. Rodgers may well also be looking to trade up to team that is more competitive and does not regularly fall just before the final hurdle, and thus we should keep our eyes and years open for news around the 37-year-old in the next few months.
