Packers committed to Aaron Rodgers
The Green Bay Packers finished the 2020 National Football League campaign atop the NFC standings with an impressive 13-3 record. It was good enough to earn them a bye in the Wild Card round and home field advantage up until the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately for them, Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers visited Lambeau Field for the NFC Championship game and escaped with a 31-26 victory to reach the Super Bowl. Questions immediately turned to the future of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Despite having turned 37-years-old in December, Rodgers had a remarkable campaign and will likely be named the 2020 NFL MVP – it would be the third time he has taken home the prestigious honor if he does win it. He had 48 touchdowns, with just five interceptions.
Even with all his success though, many were wondering whether the Packers would start to look to the future and move on from Rodgers. However, at a press conference on Monday the team’s general manager Brian Gutekunst made it clear the team is committed to their quarterback.
“I don’t think I have to do a lot of assuring him because I think obviously his play speaks for itself,” Gutekunst said Monday, via ESPN.
“I will say this: We’re really excited not only for next year but the years to come. He’s playing at such a high level that he always has, and I think this year was a special team. It didn’t finish like we wanted to finish, but I think everybody’s purely motivated to get back and I think, like I said, I don’t think there’s anything that we have to do. He’s our quarterback, and he’s our leader.”
Speculation about Rodger’s future in Green Bay really started to run rampant when the Packers selected quarterback Jordan Love out of Utah State in the opening round of the 2020 NFL Draft. But at Monday’s press conference, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur echoed many of the same sentiments as his general manager.
“Is that a trick question?” LaFleur said when asked whether Rodgers would be back in 2021, via ESPN. “Absolutely. There’s no doubt about it. You’re talking about the guy that’s going to win the MVP of the league. We’re not in this position without him. I couldn’t be happier with just not only his performance but how he led our football team, all the little things he does within that locker room to ensure that everybody is locked in, focused and ready to go. Absolutely he will be here for a long time. I know I’ve said that before, but a long time.”
Rodgers was selected with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers and has spent his entire career in Green Bay. He led the team to a Super Bowl triumph in 2011 and has been named to the Pro Bowl a total of nine times.
“I think that he is arguably the best player that I’ve ever seen or been around,” Gutekunst continued. “The chances he gives us week in and week out are significant, so he’s going to be part of our future and we look forward to all the runs we’re going to try to make here over the next few years.”
