It's delightful ironic that a man who spends any and every opportunity to voice how much he loathes ESPN and debate journalism using those very tools to launch this bomb. And then when given the opportunity to have an on the record contestation with Tirico, he declined. Bravo.
Great analysis, Tyler. Basically covered every angle. One thing I'd add is Rodgers' play pre-Love. A little bit of the '19 season but especially the '18 season (he was hurt in '17) were very, very lackluster seasons for Rodgers. He looked like a player who no longer could use his legs and was still too stubborn to operate wholly out of the pocket. Obviously, Rodgers turned it around, but we can't also sit here an act as if that outcome was easily foreseen. Rodgers has the talent, but if he's this dug in, which I now believe he is, maximize your trade value. I think the biggest professional rebuttal the Packers can give to Rodgers is to surround Love with the type of talent they couldn't surround Rodgers with because of the cap implications. And Rodgers will be the one to blame. Grant him his wish to Denver, let him play against Pat Mahomes twice a year, and drain Denver of high draft picks and maybe even a promising young player.
As a fan whose draft week was just totally ruined by this crap, I agree. Trade him. You can't have the QB calling the shots on AND off the field. His inflated ego is out of control. He might be smart, but he's definitely not as intelligent as he THINKS he is. Just listen to his 5-min KY derby interview. He sounds like every pompous professor I ever had, even if he's just trotting out any racing term he has careening around in his head.
He released this on draft day on purpose, to stoke the flames of what was a behind-the-scenes inferno.
My big questions are where do the Packers go to trade him, and what do they get in return? As far as I can scry, the money situation still sucks after June 1, just not as much. Can they unload some of that money WITH Rodgers, or are they stuck with the bill? How many picks and players (bc I would assume you'd need players, too, for an MVP 1st-ballot HOF QB) do you get? Which players will be most beneficial to this team?
You'd have to assume the front office has some of this ironed out already, they're just waiting for that June 1 deadline. We drafted 3 OL, 1 DL, 2 CB, a WR and a last-round RB. No QB and currently just Love and Rodgers at that position. I'd guess a vet QB would come with the deal.
It would never happen in a million years, but I wish we could trade him to Dallas.
Great piece. I found it very revealing that Rodgers' only words to Tirico were (paraphrasing) that he was sorry this came out. No denials and definitely not an apology. I read some armchair analysis of Rodgers' personality type and it 100% aligns to what you're saying here - that he will dig in. If the man can sever all contact with what is, by all accounts, a loving family then cutting out the Packers will be relatively easy. I suspect that the interest in Jeopardy, and the timing, is convenient but is also honest - he seems to really want that role and by most accounts he would be well received as the host. That's just serendipity though, the issue is respect. He feels disrespected and I do not see him letting this go easily.
And you nailed it - we know nothing about Jordan Love. As a fan, the scenario that we're all-but-banking on is that Jordan Love is a third-in-a-row HoF-caliber QB? Can we acknowledge how preposterous that presumption truly is? And if it comes to pass ... well then I cannot blame the rest of the NFCN for really disliking the Packers.
NFL Management/Ownership might very well disagree with the idea that "getting nothing" for an elite quarterback on a good long-term contract is far worse than letting the player quit. I suspect they greatly fear the emergence of NBA-style player power. Letting a veteran go that Management thinks is overpaid or not as good as once thought (Wentz) is one thing, but letting a top QB force his way out is something very different (Rodgers, Wilson, Watson). I personally don't think it happens but I am not the expert you are!
Great story, I still wonder about the locker room, the old clique "there is no I in team" seems to fit. Winning does fix some of that, while the NFL players are freaks of nature physically , they are still have human emotions, at what point do they get sick of the drama.
Great stuff as always. Wasn't it disgusting to see Rodgers told Tirico he was disappointed news of the riff was public when it was his side that leaked it? Bizarre.
Great minds must think alike. Tom Silverstein wrote a column coming to the same conclusion. In addition to Broncos the Dolphins have a ton of trade capital and a talented roster.
Great stuff as always. Wasn't it disgusting to see Rodgers told Tirico he was disappointed news of the riff was public when it was his side that leaked it? Bizarre.
Great minds must think alike. Tom Silverstein wrote a column coming to the same conclusion. In addition to Broncos the Dolphins have a ton of trade capital and a talented roster.
I know QBs are a little different, but I struggle with what the rest of the guys on the team must think of him. Rodgers probably doesn't care though. The Packers basically drafted Aaron Jones' replacement last year in Dillon, and then he took an arguably below market contract to come back. That's just one example. I have to believe there's resentment towards him in the locker room even if the players know Rodgers gives them the best chance of winning.
I also remember an interview where he lamented that the NFL hasn't gone a route similar to the NBA where players can have contracts that are a percentage of the salary cap instead of defined dollar amounts. I'd be willing to be that his agent has asked for that in the discussions over the past year.
It's delightful ironic that a man who spends any and every opportunity to voice how much he loathes ESPN and debate journalism using those very tools to launch this bomb. And then when given the opportunity to have an on the record contestation with Tirico, he declined. Bravo.
Great analysis, Tyler. Basically covered every angle. One thing I'd add is Rodgers' play pre-Love. A little bit of the '19 season but especially the '18 season (he was hurt in '17) were very, very lackluster seasons for Rodgers. He looked like a player who no longer could use his legs and was still too stubborn to operate wholly out of the pocket. Obviously, Rodgers turned it around, but we can't also sit here an act as if that outcome was easily foreseen. Rodgers has the talent, but if he's this dug in, which I now believe he is, maximize your trade value. I think the biggest professional rebuttal the Packers can give to Rodgers is to surround Love with the type of talent they couldn't surround Rodgers with because of the cap implications. And Rodgers will be the one to blame. Grant him his wish to Denver, let him play against Pat Mahomes twice a year, and drain Denver of high draft picks and maybe even a promising young player.
Pretty crappy to do that on draft day, it should have been these young men’s turn to shine and he tried to steel it away from them.
As a fan whose draft week was just totally ruined by this crap, I agree. Trade him. You can't have the QB calling the shots on AND off the field. His inflated ego is out of control. He might be smart, but he's definitely not as intelligent as he THINKS he is. Just listen to his 5-min KY derby interview. He sounds like every pompous professor I ever had, even if he's just trotting out any racing term he has careening around in his head.
He released this on draft day on purpose, to stoke the flames of what was a behind-the-scenes inferno.
My big questions are where do the Packers go to trade him, and what do they get in return? As far as I can scry, the money situation still sucks after June 1, just not as much. Can they unload some of that money WITH Rodgers, or are they stuck with the bill? How many picks and players (bc I would assume you'd need players, too, for an MVP 1st-ballot HOF QB) do you get? Which players will be most beneficial to this team?
You'd have to assume the front office has some of this ironed out already, they're just waiting for that June 1 deadline. We drafted 3 OL, 1 DL, 2 CB, a WR and a last-round RB. No QB and currently just Love and Rodgers at that position. I'd guess a vet QB would come with the deal.
It would never happen in a million years, but I wish we could trade him to Dallas.
Great piece. I found it very revealing that Rodgers' only words to Tirico were (paraphrasing) that he was sorry this came out. No denials and definitely not an apology. I read some armchair analysis of Rodgers' personality type and it 100% aligns to what you're saying here - that he will dig in. If the man can sever all contact with what is, by all accounts, a loving family then cutting out the Packers will be relatively easy. I suspect that the interest in Jeopardy, and the timing, is convenient but is also honest - he seems to really want that role and by most accounts he would be well received as the host. That's just serendipity though, the issue is respect. He feels disrespected and I do not see him letting this go easily.
And you nailed it - we know nothing about Jordan Love. As a fan, the scenario that we're all-but-banking on is that Jordan Love is a third-in-a-row HoF-caliber QB? Can we acknowledge how preposterous that presumption truly is? And if it comes to pass ... well then I cannot blame the rest of the NFCN for really disliking the Packers.
NFL Management/Ownership might very well disagree with the idea that "getting nothing" for an elite quarterback on a good long-term contract is far worse than letting the player quit. I suspect they greatly fear the emergence of NBA-style player power. Letting a veteran go that Management thinks is overpaid or not as good as once thought (Wentz) is one thing, but letting a top QB force his way out is something very different (Rodgers, Wilson, Watson). I personally don't think it happens but I am not the expert you are!
As a die hard Packers supporter....great piece Tyler.
Great story, I still wonder about the locker room, the old clique "there is no I in team" seems to fit. Winning does fix some of that, while the NFL players are freaks of nature physically , they are still have human emotions, at what point do they get sick of the drama.
Great stuff as always. Wasn't it disgusting to see Rodgers told Tirico he was disappointed news of the riff was public when it was his side that leaked it? Bizarre.
Great minds must think alike. Tom Silverstein wrote a column coming to the same conclusion. In addition to Broncos the Dolphins have a ton of trade capital and a talented roster.
Great stuff as always. Wasn't it disgusting to see Rodgers told Tirico he was disappointed news of the riff was public when it was his side that leaked it? Bizarre.
Great minds must think alike. Tom Silverstein wrote a column coming to the same conclusion. In addition to Broncos the Dolphins have a ton of trade capital and a talented roster.
This is just such an amazing piece.
I know QBs are a little different, but I struggle with what the rest of the guys on the team must think of him. Rodgers probably doesn't care though. The Packers basically drafted Aaron Jones' replacement last year in Dillon, and then he took an arguably below market contract to come back. That's just one example. I have to believe there's resentment towards him in the locker room even if the players know Rodgers gives them the best chance of winning.
I also remember an interview where he lamented that the NFL hasn't gone a route similar to the NBA where players can have contracts that are a percentage of the salary cap instead of defined dollar amounts. I'd be willing to be that his agent has asked for that in the discussions over the past year.