The Green Bay Packers finally moved on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers this week, dealing him to the New York Jets and bringing an end to an era that saw him not only deliver a Super Bowl championship but multiple division titles as well as personal accolades that included being named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player on more than one occasion.
The standoff between the two sides is now over, and it certainly was a period of tension that involved lacks of communication as well as openly calling out the other side on both parties.
“We’re not gonna get into those details,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “I understand the question. We tried to communicate on a number of levels. Once we couldn’t, we communicated with his agents quite a bit. I’m not gonna get into that. It’s not good for us, not good for them. And we’re just gonna kind of move forward. But I appreciate the question. But there was no lack of effort and communication on that part from us. I think this is a good day for the Packers, good day for the Jets.”
It took considerable time for both sides to negotiate what they believed was a fair deal, which left many wondering if a deal would even get done in the first place.
“I wouldn’t say there was anything like one hard piece, it just took a long time, longer than I expected,” Gutekunst said. “I think they were going through a lot of things, trying to figure things out on their end, how they wanted to do it, but I think working with (Jets GM) Joe (Douglas) made it easier, just because we come from the same background and understand each other, what’s important to us, what’s important to them, and again, it took longer, but I really respect Joe and how he goes about it.”
The Jordan Love era with the Packers officially begins this fall, as he’s now the top ranked quarterback on Green Bay’s depth chart.
