If there's anyone that understands Aaron Rodgers' current situation with the Green Bay Packers, it's Brett Favre.
Like Rodgers, an aging Favre was still among the NFL's best quarterbacks when the Packers selected his presumed replacement in the first round of the NFL Draft. That quarterback was, of course, Rodgers himself, leading to an eventual publicized split between Favre and Green Bay.
But things have seemingly improved over recent years between Favre and the franchise he played for during 16 of his 19 NFL seasons, having returned to Lambeau Field to have his number retired in 2015, among numerous other appearances.
Favre's relationship with Rodgers has also seemed to improve with the two appearing together during those Packers ceremonies and, according to Favre, possibly texting about Rodgers' NFL future, ESPN's Rob Demovsky reports.
During an appearance alongside Jason Wilde and former teammate Mark Tauscher, Favre claims he reached out to Rodgers and joked about his former replacement joining the New Orleans Saints amid reports that the reigning NFL MVP was "disgruntled" with the Packers organization.
“Hey, am I going to see you playing for the Saints this year?” Favre said he asked Rodgers, who he claims responded with: “Hey buddy, I don’t believe that’s going to happen... Thanks for checking on me. I’ll touch base with you after this is all over.”
It's unlikely that if Rodgers did get traded it would be to the Saints who, like the Packers, are an NFC contender, despite possible uncertainty over whether Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill will successfully replace recently retired stater Drew Brees.
It's also still up to the Packers to give in to Rodgers' potential demands, who Favre acknowledged are once again facing a similar situation to the one he was involved in 13 years prior.
"They were willing to trade me," Favre said via Demovsky. "It sounds like now the Packers are not willing to trade Aaron. It's a tug of war. It's similar but different."
Amid reports of Rodgers being "disgruntled" and telling members of the organization he does not want to return to the Packers, general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters Thursday (April 29) that the issue has been addressed internally "for a little while now" and the franchise is still working toward bringing back the reigning NFL MVP.
"We've been working through this for a little while now, and I just think it may take some time," Gutekunst said via ESPN. "But he's a guy that kind of makes this thing go. He gives us the best chance to win, and we're going to work towards that end."
Rodgers is still under contract with Green Bay through the 2023 season but has no guaranteed money remaining on his current deal. Gutekunst said the team has communicated openly with Rodgers and his representatives about a new deal throughout the offseason and spoke once again on Thursday.
"We're not going to trade Aaron Rodgers," Gutekunst added via ESPN.
On Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Rodgers "is so disgruntled with the Green Bay Packers that he has told some within the organization that he does not want to return to the team."
"The Packers are aware of his feelings, concerned about them and have had team president Mark Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur each fly out on separate trips to meet with Rodgers at various points this offseason, sources told ESPN," Schefter wrote on Thursday.
Gutekunst responded to the report by telling ESPN, "As we've stated since the season ended, we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond. Aaron has been a vital part of our success and we look forward to competing for another championship with him leading our team."
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero also reported the San Francisco 49ers "reached out" to the Packers on Wednesday (April 28) to inquire about a possible trade involving the Butte County, California native, however, no formal offer was made and a source confirmed there was a "zero percent chance" Green Bay was willing to trade the reigning NFL MVP.
Shortly after Pelissero's report, FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reported "a few teams" contacted the Packers about a possible trade involving Rodgers.
Gutekunst denied speaking with 49ers general manager John Lynch regarding a possible deal for Rodgers on Thursday. Lynch, however, told reporters the franchise "inquired" about the MVP quarterback, but didn't confirm when the conversation took place, adding, "It was a quick end to the conversation; it wasn't happening."
Gutekunst acknowledged that the Packers received numerous calls from other NFL teams after Schefter's report of Rodgers' unhappiness Thursday.
"Sometime after 5 o'clock, after a lot of the stuff had kind of hit the airwaves, I got I think one call," Gutekunst said. "It was very brief, and that was it."
Rodgers has spent his entire career in Green Bay since being selected No. 24 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, which saw him serve as a backup and eventual heir to Favre during his first three seasons.
However, the Packers making a similar move by selecting Jordan Loveat No. 26 overall, choosing to draft Rodgers' possible future replacement instead of getting the former Super Bowl MVP some offensive help with their first-round pick, was among several factors leading to speculation of a possible rift prior to the 2020 season.
Rodgers responded by putting together one of the best seasons of his career, recording an NFL best 48 touchdowns, 70.7 completion percentage, and 9.1 touchdown percentage, as well as 4,299 yards and just five interceptions while leading Green Bay to an NFC best 13-3 regular-season record and winning the 2020 NFL MVP award.
Additionally, the Packers once again invested their first-round pick on a defensive player, choosing not to get more help for the 37-year-old quarterback.CBS SportsLine's Allan Bell notes that the Love -- deemed as Rodgers' eventual replacement -- is the only offensive player selected by Green Bay in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2012 and the team has selected zero wide receivers in round one since 2002.
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