The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... The Packers still believe Rodgers will play for them in 2021, and perhaps beyond. They have no plans to trade him. That was general manager Brian Gutekunst's message late Thursday night following the first round of the NFL draft, which came after sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter earlier in the day that Rodgers has become so disgruntled with the team that he has told some members of the organization he does not want to return to the Packers. "We've been working through this for a little while now, and I just think it may take some time," Gutekunst said. "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."
Diehards Line:Gutekunst denied that the Packers ever told Rodgers they would trade him and reiterated that they have no plans to do that. "We're not going to trade Aaron Rodgers," he said. After Friday night's portion of the draft ended, team president Mark Murphy wrote the following on Packers.com: "This is an issue that we have been working on for several months. Brian Gutekunst, Matt LaFleur and I have flown out on a number of occasions to meet with Aaron. We are very much aware of Aaron's concerns and have been working with him (and his agent Dave Dunn) to resolve them. We remain committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond. He is not only a tremendously talented player, but has developed into a true leader for us. The relationship that Aaron has forged with Matt and the other offensive coaches has propelled us to the brink of the Super Bowl in two straight years. We look forward to competing for another Super Bowl championship with Aaron as our leader. ..." Part of Rodgers' unhappiness stems from last year's draft, when the Packers did not inform him of their decision to trade up and draft his potential replacement, Jordan Love, at No. 26 overall. Friday night, the team selected Clemson WR Amari Rodgers in the third round.