Déjà Vu: The Packers Are Upset About Quarterback Tampering

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is sacked by Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (93) during the fourth quarter of their game Sunday, November 25, 2018 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers 24-17. MARK HOFFMAN/[email protected] Packers26 12 Hoffman

The proverbial tendency of “history repeating itself” is out in full force for the Green Bay Packers.

ESPN and Bleacher Report communicated on Wednesday that the Packers brass is not delighted with other NFL teams flirting with Aaron Rodgers. The primary offenders are theorized to be the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers — two teams with backdoor ties to the 37-year-old Green Bay quarterback. The 49ers know that Rodgers would relish playing in his home state of California. And until Thursday night, the 49ers were in the market for a quarterback not named Jimmy Garoppolo. Instead, the franchise selected Trey Lance with the 3rd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

As for Denver, well, general manager George Paton has roots with the Minnesota Vikings. During his tenure as lieutenant to general manager Rick Spielman, Paton watched Rodgers duel with the Vikings 26 times. Ergo, he knows firsthand how damn good Rodgers can be.

Shockingly, news dribbled into the NFL universe [on draft day, of all days] that Rodgers wants the hell out of Wisconsin. Rodgers and Packers management have created a strenuous relationship amid the last half-decade, derived from Packers executives strangely ignoring Rodgers’ desires.

Now may be time to pay the piper.

And that’s probably why Green Bay brass is irked by the alleged tampering. Whispers of trades behind the backs of Packers leadership is sort of a nostalgia deal. The same thing happened in 2008 with Brett Favre, the Vikings, and the New York Jets.

Favre ultimately joined both teams — New York in 2008 and the Vikings in 2009-2010.

On the tampering, Bleacher Report‘s Joseph Zucker writes:

The Green Bay Packers are “upset” other NFL teams may have tampered with disgruntled star Aaron Rodgers, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. Demovsky reported the Packers haven’t formally filed a tampering allegation with the NFL “because they know it’s nearly impossible to prove.” However, the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos “are believed” to be two of the teams that reached out to Rodgers to see his level of interest in playing for them. The 49ers and Broncos were both linked to Rodgers prior to Demovsky’s report. Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith reported San Francisco was willing to include the No. 3 overall pick in a trade package for the 37-year-old, though Schefter reported at the time no team had made a formal offer to Green Bay.

It seems any pathway to kumbaya for the Packers and Rodgers is nearly kaput. This is 2021. If the Rodgers malcontent stuff was egregious hubbub, the Packers quarterback has multiple public venues to denounce the nonsense. He can tweet. He can hold a press conference. He can leak something to Ian Rapoport.

But none of that is happening. The rumor mill will soon be the inevitably mill.

In the defense of Rodgers’ personality, he did not waffle annually on whether he’d play for Green Bay the following year — as did Brett Favre from about 2002 to 2007. Yet, the similarities leading up to the fracture in the relationship are spookily similar.

And Favre busted out off Green Bay eventually. He led the Vikings to an NFC Championship, showcasing the best statistical season of his career in Minnesota.

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