He took over as GM in 2018. They finished poorly in 2018 at 6-9-1, but fired Mike McCarthy, and hired Lafleur. Since that, they've gone 26-6 and made it to the NFC Championship Game twice. So total record since being hired is 32-15-1 and 2 back to back NFC Championships in 3 seasons.
I know Love was a controversial pick last year, and I understand why, but almost the rest of that entire draft was spent on offense, mainly to protect Rodgers... RB, TE, G, and C were all picked after Love.
Gutenkunst has been with Green Bay since 1998:
-(1998–2011) Scout
-(2012–2015) Director of college scouting
-(2016–2017) Director of player personnel
-(2018-present) General manager
Seems like a natural, in house ascent that he was groomed for. Also looking at his past three drafts they don't really deviate from what Green Bay was doing under Ted Thompson, whom he undoubtedly learned everything from and was mentored by.
Is Rodgers beef really about the GM's performance or is it exclusively about Love?
Because if it's exclusively about Love it seems like a bad move to try and upset the apple cart of a franchise that front office that has been humming along for a long time, successfully. Even if Rodgers gets his wish (which I doubt) and they fire the GM, will he really be around long enough to see the repercussions of such a move?
At this point, he's won a Super Bowl, MVP's, honors, etc. He's lost confidence in his organization, since the Packer Front Office was looking to replace him in a year or so with the trade up for Love. You don't use a high draft choice on a QB in 2021 without intending to replace the current QB, as Dalton will find out in Chicago.
The Packer Front Office apparently never thought Rodgers would have the year he had last year. That's why Rodgers is trying to force a change in the Packer Front Office, or force a trade while his value is at it's highest. There's no trust at this point between the parties, or confidence by Rodgers about the organization's ability to bring in talent.
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In comment 15251489 Britt in VA said:
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With this GM?
Seems to me that if he wanted more money, and what you all are saying is true about him being treated like a bum in his contract, he could simply say he wants more money vs. telling the franchise they need to fire the GM, no?
I mean, he did take them to two NFC Championships and won the MVP, so he'd have a case.
or, he could played out his deal and gone FA like Brady did.
He only got to free agency because the Pats let him. If the Pats wanted to keep Brady, he's still be in New England. Unrestricted free agency is almost never an option for franchise QBs.
You negotiate into the contract that the Green Bay Packers are not permitted to Franchise or Transition Tag Rodgers at the end of the Contract. That is permitted by CBA.
Is this the same GM who drafted TE Tonyan? That guy was a true steal!
And the RB? Jones was another steal.
As we know Rodgers can hold a grudge. Guy won't even talk to his mother. Id bet on him not coming back to GB.
Is this the same GM who drafted TE Tonyan? That guy was a true steal!
And the RB? Jones was another steal.
As we know Rodgers can hold a grudge. Guy won't even talk to his mother. Id bet on him not coming back to GB.
Tee Higgins, with nobody to take pressure off of him and PS fodder for almost half the year at QB, still managed 67 receptions for 908 yards and 6 TD's.
I think Rodgers' frustration stems from a few things:
1. The org's patience with McCarthy when Rodgers, by all accounts, didn't like/respect him for quite a while. I think he feels they wasted a LOT of his career (and many, myself included, have always thought the same).
2. The 2020 draft - Rodgers (rightly so) felt the team was very close. They got basically zero impact from the draft. As others have noted, in a notably deep WR draft, a position of need for that team for some time...they instead decided they were cool rolling with Marquez Valding Scandling, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Allan Lazard behind Davante Adams. They used their first three picks on a QB, an RB (despite having Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams on the roster), and an undersized TE/H-back. It was an objectively awful draft given where they were as a team. I think it was meant as an intentional message to Rodgers that they weren't going to let him run the team. At best, even assuming they weren't playing games/sending messages, they made an organizational decision to approach the draft with a long-term view. Even if that's the case, they went too far and ignored some opportunities to help in the short term and build long term.
3. The contract situation, though I think that's likely resolved by now if he were happier.
His notable picks are Jaire Alexander in the first round in 2018 (objectively great pick) and MVS and St. Brown in rounds 5 and 6 in 2018. Essentially zero production from any other guys he's picked.
He’s not playing, that’s the point. Instead of trying to improve the chances to win the SB with Rodgers under contract, they chose to plan for life without him.
That’s fine but in this era of football you can’t really have both. The days of sitting for 2-3 years like Rodgers did are gone.
His notable picks are Jaire Alexander in the first round in 2018 (objectively great pick) and MVS and St. Brown in rounds 5 and 6 in 2018. Essentially zero production from any other guys he's picked.
He didn't draft them, but let's not pretend he had nothing to do with it... Like I said earlier, this isn't some outsider that came in and decided to shake things up:
-(1998–2011) Scout
-(2012–2015) Director of college scouting
-(2016–2017) Director of player personnel
-(2018-present) General manager
Drafting Love over Tee Higgins did not hold them back.
People most often quit their job because of their boss rather than the company. Not uncommon.
People most often quit their job because of their boss rather than the company. Not uncommon.
Did you ever try to use your clout to demand that your boss get fired?
Drafting Love over Tee Higgins did not hold them back.
And let's say all those numbers improved with Higgins. What really held them back was Bakhtari getting hurt, but having a guy like Higgins could have taken some pressure off the offensive line. Tough to have a quick passing attack with the guys they have behind Adams. Take away Adams and relying on those guys to consistently win 1 v 1 battles is a losing proposition.
Drafting Love over Tee Higgins did not hold them back.
I don’t know it necessarily means offense. Their secondary was pitiful - I’m sure more talent there instead of Love riding the pine would be preferred.
I think we assume Rodgers is bitching about offense but it could just be that they punted their pick to help at all right now, which is clear as day.
Rodgers trying to force a trade is in some ways similar to Eli saying he wouldn't play for the Chargers.
I think if you support Eli's (or any player) right to say what situation is right for them for any reason, you should support Rodgers decision to demand a trade (if he has even done that).
When did Eli demand that his supervisors be fired? I don't see the situations as comparable.
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or whiny. He is exercising the leverage he has. If the Packers decline they can force him to pay back money if he retires while the team explodes or meet his demands. It just is what it is. When I was young man and the best salesman my company had by a large margin, I could have gotten a manager fired if I threatened to work for the competition. I had the talent, I was a closer, I did whatever I wanted.
People most often quit their job because of their boss rather than the company. Not uncommon.
Did you ever try to use your clout to demand that your boss get fired?
The NFL is not an average work place. Nobody signs contracts like these guys and if you don't like what's going on, you leave. Rogers signed his contract in good faith and all of a sudden they draft a QB in the first round with 4 years left on his deal.
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Green Bay led the league in points scored, passing TDs, AY/A, and passing TD%. They had the best record in the NFC, and were in a coin flip game to go to the Super Bowl.
Drafting Love over Tee Higgins did not hold them back.
I don’t know it necessarily means offense. Their secondary was pitiful - I’m sure more talent there instead of Love riding the pine would be preferred.
I think we assume Rodgers is bitching about offense but it could just be that they punted their pick to help at all right now, which is clear as day.
Agreed. Any position could have helped more in 2020 than QB. Backup tackle in a deep tackle draft, more secondary help, another receiver or TE...whatever.
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Eli Manning in comparison to Rodgers but I think you're comparing the wrong thing about the two. What Rodgers is doing now is not comparable to the end of Eli's career, but the beginning.
Rodgers trying to force a trade is in some ways similar to Eli saying he wouldn't play for the Chargers.
I think if you support Eli's (or any player) right to say what situation is right for them for any reason, you should support Rodgers decision to demand a trade (if he has even done that).
When did Eli demand that his supervisors be fired? I don't see the situations as comparable.
k
But this has been handled poorly by both sides.
I don't think Love was worth a first, especially trading up to get him, but I understood the thinking from a long term perspective.
If AaRod wants to win desperately why does he want a bigger contract? Why wouldn't he follow the Brady blueprint at this point at this point?
I think both sides need a divorce at this point.
This is not about whether Rodgers has the right to demand more money, he does, or whether he has the right to hold out, he does, or be traded.
This was strictly about his demand of the GM being fired.
GB barely signs FA anyway which is another problem.
+1, they've had a tendency to make crucial mistakes in big spots against the best teams. Cannot assume it gets fixed by drafting a WR.
I'd say the error was in not communicating openly with AR regarding the draft pick of the QB. Plus, the contract talk would indicate he wants a Mahomes-level contract. The rest of it sounds like AR and his frustration/insecurity/anger working itself out in the public eye. An extension may or may not fix the damage here either.
This is not about whether Rodgers has the right to demand more money, he does, or whether he has the right to hold out, he does, or be traded.
This was strictly about his demand of the GM being fired.
I don't know if he should have it or not...but he does. He's an all-time great player that makes a massive difference in wins and losses...far more than the GM, head coach, or any other element of that organization.
I've got no problems with him using that leverage to get what he wants.
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or whiny. He is exercising the leverage he has. If the Packers decline they can force him to pay back money if he retires while the team explodes or meet his demands. It just is what it is. When I was young man and the best salesman my company had by a large margin, I could have gotten a manager fired if I threatened to work for the competition. I had the talent, I was a closer, I did whatever I wanted.
People most often quit their job because of their boss rather than the company. Not uncommon.
Did you ever try to use your clout to demand that your boss get fired?
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that this is whether or not you think Rodgers should have the clout over the organization to demand that the GM be fire. Period, point blank.
This is not about whether Rodgers has the right to demand more money, he does, or whether he has the right to hold out, he does, or be traded.
This was strictly about his demand of the GM being fired.
I don't know if he should have it or not...but he does. He's an all-time great player that makes a massive difference in wins and losses...far more than the GM, head coach, or any other element of that organization.
I've got no problems with him using that leverage to get what he wants.
Well we'll see if he has it or not.
GB barely signs FA anyway which is another problem.
not to take this in the wrong direction, but the TB12 stuff is tin foil hat conspiracy theory land-ish. There has never been one shred of evidence I have seen that Kraft "funded" TB12 and not sure what the "other things" even are.
TB12, inc. revenues are around $3M annually and supports 20 employees. That's what it took to get Brady to take a below market deal?
Knowing what we know about spygate - don't you think one former Pats FO/Exec would somehow let it leak this happening or even better yet try and set up an Arod12 (or Jones6 or Wilson3, Mahomes15 - you see where I'm going) nutrition company (or any business really) for your QB or any player to get him to accept a below market deal?
Not singling you out Uconn, I've read the allegations on here from many people and if this were a different topic the conspiracy theorists would be mocked incessantly.
Funny how Rodgers crying about a QB drafted.
If they didn't like the players in the draft range, and there wasn't a lot there, then why not go for QB you believe in? It has to be more, Rodgers can't be crying about this a year later.
What exactly does Rodgers want revenge for? How has he been slighted, and why does this GM get all the wrath?
What exactly does Rodgers want revenge for? How has he been slighted, and why does this GM get all the wrath?
I don't know if revenge is the right term as it is about leverage really.
But old saying that if you aren't playing Offense than you're playing defense. Rodgers is on the offensive right now...
GB barely signs FA anyway which is another problem.
In 2019 they broke their thriftiness and went heavy on the Smith boys and Amos on D. They were very aggressive trying to take advantage of their window by fixing their crumbling D.
Brady didn't break Tampa's bank. And I believe he recently restructured his contract again.
So if one of the GOATs is willing to concede on market value, a guy like AaRod, also on the back nine of his career, should, IMV, think similarly - if he truly wants more trophies.
Drafting Love over Tee Higgins did not hold them back.
So the idea is that being significantly better at WR2 couldn't have helped them win a "coinflip" game? Or the same at CB? Or OL? In a lot of ways, that's the exact point. Rodgers instantly makes them one of the best offenses in the league. Had they made any effort to really give him every weapon they could (at the same time Tampa was doing exactly that for Tom Brady), seems very possible those additional pieces could have made the incremental difference that puts them over the top when it mattered.
In a year when they were clearly viewed as contenders, they came out of the first three rounds of the draft without a player with any real clear path to contribute. This followed a relatively quiet free agency period. I think Rodgers frustration was larger than not adding a WR, but rather, appearing to make no real significant effort to go for it at all...which has been a complaint of his with the organization for several years.
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of QBs taking less to win? It’s long rumored that Kraft funded some of TB12 among other things, so I’m not even sure Brady is a good example. But let’s say that isn’t true, it’s still just 1 QB. I can think of anyone in their prime that gave up money and none at all that did so after winning MVP.
GB barely signs FA anyway which is another problem.
In 2019 they broke their thriftiness and went heavy on the Smith boys and Amos on D. They were very aggressive trying to take advantage of their window by fixing their crumbling D.
Brady didn't break Tampa's bank. And I believe he recently restructured his contract again.
So if one of the GOATs is willing to concede on market value, a guy like AaRod, also on the back nine of his career, should, IMV, think similarly - if he truly wants more trophies.
This I agree with fully and is where I take issue with some of Rodgers' complaints (and a guy like Russ Wilson as well).
For Brady it was easy to take less, he's 42 not 36/37. He also handpicked his players, something Rodgers never has been able to do.
Jesus, this crap again?
He’s got the best job in football right now.
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i hope he's great kinda just to shove it in closeted Rodgers face
Jesus, this crap again?
Rodgers has tapped some primo tail. I'm going to go out on a limb and chalk this up to envy. We should all be as closeted as AR.
You are right. He is not Tom Brady. He is better. Even Brady has conceded that.
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Rodgers was already angry about the lack of resources allocated to the offense in the drafts.
Since they drafted Bryan Bulaga and Derrek Sherrod, a pair of OT's, in 2010 and 2011 the only 1st Round pick on offense has been Jordan Love. Prior to Jordan Love, the last offensive skill position player taken in Round 1 was Aaron Rodgers. Davante Adams was their only 2nd round pick from 2012 to the present not allocated to RB, OL, or Defense. Aaron Rodgers does not want to run the ball, he would be happy passing 50 times a game like Ben Roethlisberger was doing at times in Pittsburgh last year. When the only pass catchers you select in the top 2 rounds from 2009 to the present are Randall Cobb and Davante Adams that is nothing. As much as Kevin King did not help matters defensively, they were in the game until Tampa took away Adams and Tonyan. Had they used 2020 1st Rounder on Tee Higgins, Brandon Aiyuk, or Michael Pittman and the 2020 2nd Rounder on someone more electric like Antonio Gibson I think the Packers win against Tampa Bay.
Stupid talking point. When you are able to come up with Davante Adams in the second round, Aaron Jones in the 5th round, Valdes-Scantling and his 20 yard a catch average in the 6th round, Jamaal Williams in the 4th round,Tonyon off the Lions scrap heap, you don't really need to be spending first round picks. If our GM was doing that, we'd be performing cartwheels.
Love is not the issue except with the sporting press (Love is represented by the same agent as Rodgers- Athletes First). It's about $$$$. He sees guys like Mahomes and Prescott walking away with huge money. He sees DE, LT's and LB's ahead of him on the contract value list. Cut Aaron a check or re-work his deal, and he won't care if Jesus Christ is drafted in the first round.
Exactly right.
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They haven't surrounded Rodgers with much talent. He spoke out about McCarthy and that seems to he true. Then, supposedly, the GM said he was going to trade Rodgers but then backed off of that stance without telling Rodgers. Would I have handled it the way he has? No. But that doesn't mean he is wrong for what has happened.
Yup. Not sure why so many fans take such a hard stance on things when a player speaks their mind. They aren't slaves, they are allow to be displeased with management and voice their opinions. The old way of doing business is long gone in sports, time to get used to it.
Tired of this lazy condescending nonsense. He is an employee getting paid millions per year. How the hell is that being a slave? Granted he could be considered upper level employee, but it does not give him the right to black mail the organization. I almost wish they could trade him to some scrub team and let him see what shitty talent looks like. How do you think he would with the Jets? He'd be looking through his earhole every play.
I look at GB's offense and I admire the talent. They ate teams last year. He didn't have Daniel Jones level of garbage around him. The Packers lost to Tampa because his All Pro LT got hurt, just like Mahomes lost because his LT and RT were hurt. This is the same Tampa team that was two horrible Daniel Jones INTs away from losing to the Giants.
And if this is about Love, the whiny ass bitch forgot he was drafted to replace Favre too in much the same fashion.
I did not like what Deshaun Watson did, and I think he has a much bigger and legit gripe. I think Rodgers has only marginal, at best, reason to complain. Does anyone think Tampa beats GB if Bakhtiari is in that game? No way. It wasn't his weapons that lost the game, it was protection. How many teams have All Pro level LT sitting on the bench as backups?
I don't care how much money he makes, if he has a legit gripe he should be able address it. You might not like how he's doing it, but apparently GB is handling this poorly enough to force his hand, so he did.
If that's the case, the GM is a genius.
I think it's about revenge for not consulting with him for drafting Love, or at least that's how it appears. Brady would get that "respect" and Rodgers didn't.