NFL Exec: Aaron Rodgers 'Passive Aggressive'; Packers Can 'Get Away' with Trading QB

An anonymous NFL executive weighed in Friday on the drama unfolding between the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

According to Mike Sando of The Athletic, the exec said:

"Taking a flamethrower to an organization that is fairly well run is wholly different than anything we've seen with Deshaun Watson or any other quarterback. Rodgers has always been passive-aggressive. Now, he is just being aggressive. If I'm the Packers, if you want to pay me $31.5 million to retire, be my guest. There are not a lot of franchises that could get away with moving on from Aaron Rodgers. The Packers can."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last week that Rodgers has told some within the organization that he no longer wants to play for the Packers after 16 years in Green Bay.

Schefter noted that the Packers moving up to select quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft without consulting Rodgers is among the biggest reasons why the future Hall of Fame quarterback is disgruntled.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported that Rodgers is "adamant" he won't return to the Packers unless they fire general manager Brian Gutekunst.

The Packers have given no indication that they would be willing to fire Gutekunst in order to placate Rodgers, but they haven't shown a willingness to part ways with Rodgers, either.

In an article for Packers.com last week, team president Mark Murphy said the organization is aware of and looking to fix Rodgers' concerns, and that it is committed to Rodgers in 2021 and beyond.

While the anonymous executive's point about the Packers being a historically good organization that can bounce back from losing Rodgers is a sound one, moving on from the reigning NFL MVP still isn't likely to be a popular decision if it is made.

At 37 years of age, the nine-time Pro Bowler, three-time NFL MVP and one-time Super Bowl champion is coming off arguably the best statistical season of his career.

Rodgers led the NFL with a completion percentage of 70.7 percent and 48 touchdown passes, plus he threw for 4,299 yards and just five interceptions.

Schefter said during the 2021 NFL draft that no reigning NFL MVP has ever started the following season with a new team, so trading or releasing Rodgers would be unprecedented.

It would also require the Packers to have faith in Love, who didn't play a single snap as a rookie despite being a first-round pick.

The Packers have gone 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship Game in back-to-back years, underscoring just how close they are to winning a Super Bowl.

Getting rid of Rodgers would represent a huge step backward, and it likely wouldn't be a popular move among fans initially unless Love plays great out of the gates.