18 January 2023 , 19:45
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The Green Bay Packers reportedly have no intention of trading away their superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers, despite the quarterback flirting with the idea of moving teams.
The legendary quarterback has pondered retirement over the last few seasons, having dropped hints on potentially walking away from the sport on multiple occasions, as well as reports suggesting he could look to be traded. But after back-to-back MVP seasons, Rodgers had looked back to his past under head coach Matt LaFleur, and earned every bit of his new contract this past summer.
The 2022 season saw both Rodgers play and his team's success decline though, after trading away superstar wide receiver Davante Adams, which hurt them offensively until rookie Christian Watson stepped up during the latter weeks of the season.
Throughout the past three years, the Packers have had offers to move on from Rodgers, with the Denver Broncos reportedly offering a haul to bring in him. But they would eventually become tired of waiting and offered a similar package to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Russell Wilson - a move which hasn't gone well for Denver thus far.
But this past off-season, the Packers gave Rodgers a huge four-year, $200million extension, which the quarterback stated would see him retire a Packer.
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Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said: "We made a really big commitment to him last offseason. As we did that, it certainly wasn't for just this year. He's gonna take his time, and the communication will be pretty constant as we move forward."
Trading Rodgers would hugely impact the Packers financially (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)Rodgers has yet to definitively state that he will return to Green Bay in 2023, but did tell Pat McAfee, who he speaks to weekly, that he does not intend to retire - believing he can win a fifth MVP next season. He also hinted that he may be open to playing elsewhere.
When asked if he believes he can still play at an elite level, he said: "Of course. Of course... The highest. I think I can win MVP again in the right situation.
"Right situation, is that Green Bay or is that somewhere else? I'm not sure, but I don't think you should shut down any opportunity. Like I said during the season, that's got to be both sides actually wanting to work together moving forward, and I think there's more conversations to be had."
Trading away Rodgers would be almost impossible for the Packers, unless he signed a new deal with the team he joined, as his former club would inherit $99 million of dead cap space.