When Aaron Rodgers was finally traded to the Jets in April, it was the final straw of a turbulent relationship between he and the Packers front office dating back to the 2021 offseason.
During the ’20 campaign, Rodgers earned his third NFL MVP award after leading Green Bay to a 13–3 record and an NFC North title. However, the Packers fell one game shy of earning a spot in the Super Bowl LV after losing to the Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game.
In the ’21 offseason, Rodgers did not shy away from expressing his frustration stemming from Green Bay not including him in the team’s personnel decisions and the drafting of now-starting quarterback Jordan Love. Even more, according to a report from Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Dave Dunn—Rodgers’s longtime agent—requested that Packers president Mark Murphy either fire Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst or trade Rodgers that same offseason.
While neither option came to fruition, Rodgers’s displeasure led him to want to leave the franchise a couple months later. Despite the clear rift between the veteran quarterback and the front office, he later agreed to return to Green Bay at the beginning of training camp in 2021.
When Rodgers was asked about Dunn’s reported request during a recent Jets practice, the 39-year-old quarterback directed further questions to his agent. Dunn did not provide a response to the claim, according to The Athletic.
Rodgers hoped the franchise would change some things after the tumultuous offseason and stay true to some of the promises that were told to him when he decided to return to Green Bay for the 2021 campaign. While some things were made better, including a “somewhat improved relationship” with Gutekunst, Rodgers told The Athletic that he was still not as happy as he is now in New York.
“It still wasn’t anywhere near what I’ve already enjoyed here with the Jets in just a few short weeks,” Rodgers said.
