A note from Matt: Corey Seeley joined The Draft Scout team right before the 2021 NFL draft and jumped into a big role as a scouting assistant and content creator. As his role expands, Corey will write frequent NFL and NFL draft columns while also taking part in our interactive events.
From what I’ve been reading, both sides are dug in. Aaron isn’t budging and neither is Mark Murphy. I believe this while thing boils down to an organization refusing to be aggressive in a league where the aggressive teams aren’t just winning, they’re winning right away. Aaron looks at what Tampa Bay and Kansas City do for Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes and wonders what the Packers have done for him? They refuse to be aggressive in the FA/trade market, which is especially a problem since Green Bay is not a hot FA destination, they refuse to go over their budget, JJ Watt and Corey Linsley were apparently too expensive, they always draft developmental players that aren’t close to being ready to contribute year 1, I’ve not been a fan of their last few drafts, and they make significant decisions in the QB room without giving Aaron a heads up.
Aaron is someone who doesn’t like to be disliked, his reputation to others matters to him. If Aaron forces his way out of GB, he will become the bad guy. He already is if you listen to some GB talk radio. Will Aaron be willing to potentially become the villain? I don’t know. If I would have to pick one side to fold and give in, I would pick Aaron. This whole situation gives us so much drama and I am here for it. These are the types of stories and situations that we love for. Non-stop content and speculation!
Hey Corey! Love the way you breakdown your points. Usually I would touch on each point but instead I would just like to potentially add to the third. GM Brian Gutekunst has recently seen support by many other GMs/scouts for his character and work ethic, while in the media there is no one willing to support the drafting of Jordan Love. Which of these is truth? A GM's job is to draft what is best for the team as they see best. Prior to this year I was a fan like most who said that the Love pick was the worst for the team, but now as I have learned more about the GM position this past year I have been given more context to the situation that I think has weight.
In 2017, Aaron Rodgers went down with a collarbone injury and the Packers missed the playoffs. The reputation of "continued success at finding the next guy" fell flat on Coach Mike McCarthy's face as he fought to defend Brett Hundley who sat 2 years learning behind Aaron. In 2018, after Aaron posted his second highest yardage total (4,442) and a 25:2 ratio, they missed the playoffs again, with only 5 wins. In 2019, they bounced back with new Coach Matt LeFleur after the ridiculous in-house drama about McCarthy's tenure and a disconnect between Aaron and the new coach, and yet despite all of that, they reached the NFC title game where they got stomped by the Niners.
What should we take away? The QB position is everything but it also cannot and should not be. It is not Aaron's fault he got hurt and they did not have a ready back up in '18. It is not his fault they only had 5 wins in '19. It is not his fault they got stomped back to back in '19 & '20 in the NFC title game. There IS a fault in deservedly making him the highest paid PLAYER multiple times, as teams that have followed this approach have evidently NOT won the big game, while the TRUE example of Brady (not the TB example) was taking less to better the overall team to 6 SB wins in NE. And so Gutekunst drafted a QB who they believe in and who is cheaper while this team is so good and so close. No one is saying he will be Pat Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers but by bolstering the team around him, he does not have to be. BUT if the Aaron and the Packers split and GB regresses terribly, then maybe they are not the classic SB winning team of Lombardi we have longed thought them to be, but instead the Brett Hundley/McCarthy rumors/Aaron-LeFleur conflicting/Aaron wanting out of- organization and we are now only seeing it.
From what I’ve been reading, both sides are dug in. Aaron isn’t budging and neither is Mark Murphy. I believe this while thing boils down to an organization refusing to be aggressive in a league where the aggressive teams aren’t just winning, they’re winning right away. Aaron looks at what Tampa Bay and Kansas City do for Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes and wonders what the Packers have done for him? They refuse to be aggressive in the FA/trade market, which is especially a problem since Green Bay is not a hot FA destination, they refuse to go over their budget, JJ Watt and Corey Linsley were apparently too expensive, they always draft developmental players that aren’t close to being ready to contribute year 1, I’ve not been a fan of their last few drafts, and they make significant decisions in the QB room without giving Aaron a heads up.
Aaron is someone who doesn’t like to be disliked, his reputation to others matters to him. If Aaron forces his way out of GB, he will become the bad guy. He already is if you listen to some GB talk radio. Will Aaron be willing to potentially become the villain? I don’t know. If I would have to pick one side to fold and give in, I would pick Aaron. This whole situation gives us so much drama and I am here for it. These are the types of stories and situations that we love for. Non-stop content and speculation!
Hey Corey! Love the way you breakdown your points. Usually I would touch on each point but instead I would just like to potentially add to the third. GM Brian Gutekunst has recently seen support by many other GMs/scouts for his character and work ethic, while in the media there is no one willing to support the drafting of Jordan Love. Which of these is truth? A GM's job is to draft what is best for the team as they see best. Prior to this year I was a fan like most who said that the Love pick was the worst for the team, but now as I have learned more about the GM position this past year I have been given more context to the situation that I think has weight.
In 2017, Aaron Rodgers went down with a collarbone injury and the Packers missed the playoffs. The reputation of "continued success at finding the next guy" fell flat on Coach Mike McCarthy's face as he fought to defend Brett Hundley who sat 2 years learning behind Aaron. In 2018, after Aaron posted his second highest yardage total (4,442) and a 25:2 ratio, they missed the playoffs again, with only 5 wins. In 2019, they bounced back with new Coach Matt LeFleur after the ridiculous in-house drama about McCarthy's tenure and a disconnect between Aaron and the new coach, and yet despite all of that, they reached the NFC title game where they got stomped by the Niners.
What should we take away? The QB position is everything but it also cannot and should not be. It is not Aaron's fault he got hurt and they did not have a ready back up in '18. It is not his fault they only had 5 wins in '19. It is not his fault they got stomped back to back in '19 & '20 in the NFC title game. There IS a fault in deservedly making him the highest paid PLAYER multiple times, as teams that have followed this approach have evidently NOT won the big game, while the TRUE example of Brady (not the TB example) was taking less to better the overall team to 6 SB wins in NE. And so Gutekunst drafted a QB who they believe in and who is cheaper while this team is so good and so close. No one is saying he will be Pat Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers but by bolstering the team around him, he does not have to be. BUT if the Aaron and the Packers split and GB regresses terribly, then maybe they are not the classic SB winning team of Lombardi we have longed thought them to be, but instead the Brett Hundley/McCarthy rumors/Aaron-LeFleur conflicting/Aaron wanting out of- organization and we are now only seeing it.