All the drama can probably end.
Green Bay Packers team president Mark Murphy has no doubt about who will be quarterbacking his team next season.
Appearing as a guest on WNFL radio in Green Bay, Murphy made it clear Aaron Rodgers – who expressed some uncertainty about his own future following Sunday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – would be the Packers quarterback in 2021.
“I’ll say this, there’s no way in heck that Aaron is not going to be on the Packers. I mean, he is going to be the MVP of the league. He might have had his best year ever. He’s our unquestioned leader, and, you know, we’re not idiots,” Murphy said, via ESPN.
Murphy’s strong comments, when combined with Matt LaFleur’s emotional answer from Sunday night and Rodgers’ own words on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, paint a fairly clear picture. While there are no absolutes in the business of the NFL, Rodgers is almost certainly going to be the quarterback of the Packers in 2021, even if there are some potential speedbumps to cross before now and then.
LaFleur said this when asked if he’ll get another chance with Rodgers in 2021: “I sure as hell hope so. I mean, the guy is the MVP of this league. He is the heart and soul of our football team. Hell yeah, he better be back here. He’s our leader. Just so appreciative of him buying into what we’re trying to get done around here and leading that group. His voice carries a lot of weight in that locker room. I feel for him. To be in this situation, and for us not to get it done, that hurts.”
Rodgers said this to McAfee on Tuesday: “Now, obviously, after the season that I had, potentially winning MVP and we obviously made another good run, I don’t think that there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be back, but, look, there aren’t many absolutes in this business.”
Rodgers is expected to win his third MVP after throwing a career-high 48 touchdown passes, completing a career-high 70.7 percent of his passes and finishing with a 121.5 passer rating, the second-best in NFL history. He led the Packers to a 13-3 record, the NFC North title, the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the NFC Championship Game, although the Packers in the title game for the fourth straight time.
The Packers traded up in the draft to take Jordan Love in the first round last April, but Rodgers is still under contract for three more seasons, and Love was inactive for every game in 2020.
It’s possible Rodgers could want a restructured contract to avoid being a potential lame-duck quarterback in 2021. He said no conversations about a contract have been had with the Packers at any point yet.
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