Packers Huddle

<Just kidding about the 200 pages. But it probably got your attention…>

I wanted to get the elephant out of the room. We dance around the subject because maybe it’s only simmering and not full heat yet. But is ONE quarter of a game by Jordan Love, combined with the injury status of Aaron Rodgers enough to elevate this conversation? If so, read on.

There are already so many variables going into this conversation in different threads. They include:
1. Rodgers’ contract status.
2. Love’s good performance against the Eagles.
3. Rodger’s health.
4. Rodger’s “slipping” performances.
5. Did anybody mention a potential trade?
6. And more.

For now, the question is about how we finish the 2022 season. If we only have a 2% chance of making the playoffs, I think Rodgers continues to play until we are eliminated. (If his health tolerates it.)

If we get eliminated, that changes everything in my view. Packers will still play him and start him in 2023. The contract really necessitates that. But for the remaining five games, give Love as much experience as possible. That will help him start next year, if Rodgers gets hurt. Or, it’ll help your trade value for him. No-lose situation there.

I say this, feeling like we can win games with Love. And we can win games with Rodgers. It’s the defense that we need to fix at this point.

If Rodgers sits next week, injured or not, I think you’re gonna see the drama return to Green Bay. Rodgers had made his mindset clear by publicly stating his intention to play regardless of his “playing injured” status or any “building toward the future” intentions of Lafleur or mgmt.

Is there anybody here who thinks for a second Rodgers gives a hoot about getting Love meaningful snaps in a lost season?

Lafleur will play rodgers. He don’t want the smoke.

I agree. Rodgers will play as many games this season as he chooses. We will not move on from Rodgers this offseason. He will be our QB in 2023. I also think that this team will be a lot better in 2023 and we will contend again, with Rodgers at the helm. We'll pick up the 5th year option on Love and he will continue to improve. He will have a good career with us, beginning in 2024 at the earliest.

That's how I see it anyway. Never know though...

It isn't the decision of the injured player to decide if he plays or not. If Rodgers needs surgery (the thumb), do it now. It protects from setbacks and second surgeries. As we learned with Bak, no surgery is routine.

My choice would be to sit Rodgers and cut him post June 1. That said, I expect him back in 2023-2024, and if so I want him at 100%.

Watson is enormously talented. Think what he could do with a full training camp and the QB building some chemistry with him.

Ghost_Lombardi wrote: ↑

28 Nov 2022 20:12

Watson is enormously talented.

He certainly runs fast. Catching the ball 95%+ of the time would be nice, too.

wallyuwl wrote: ↑

28 Nov 2022 20:14

Ghost_Lombardi wrote: ↑

28 Nov 2022 20:12

Watson is enormously talented.

He certainly runs fast. Catching the ball 95%+ of the time would be nice, too.

That would lead the leagues' next best WR by 8 percentage points this season, and be over 10 percentage points better than NFL's all-time best catch rate of Pierre Thomas' 84.4%. So yes, I'd like that too.

Rodgers is fully aware of how he became QB1. He knows once he showed it on the field in Dallas after Favre got hurt that he could play this game, that it all was just waiting for Favre to announce his retirement and how quickly the FO would move on to him as the next QB1. He knows it doesnt take much to get the FO talking, the fans talking, the media creating drama and the coaches wondering. All that happened for Rodgers in 2007 and heck Favre and the Pack held the NFC Championship that season and the Organization still moved to Rodgers for the next season. Now, Rodgers is the old guy, has flipped the retirement talk the last two seasons, saying he needs his time to decide, have his talks with Gutey and what not. And he knows he isnt taking them to the NFC Championship this season like Favre did in 2007 , so if an organization can move on Favre that quick after seeing some nice play by Rodgers in Dallas in 2007 , why wouldn't he think they would move onto Love after watching him play 4 or 5 games and if Love does well and builds momentum with the younger receivers in those games, holds a good huddle, earns some respect with teammates and fans, why would the Packers organization want Rodgers back? Rodger loves having leverage and his leverage is slipping away quickly- one more showing by Love like last night and Rodgers knows hes a goner. Rather move forward 1 year early than one year too late. So Rodgers will do anything to prevent losing that leverage and it will either take a bad injury or Lafleur to make that call but probably would still need to come from Gutey...just like Ted Thompson had to be the one to tell Favre.

[mention]TB4[/mention]

Food for thought:

TB 4

actually Ted and Mike asked Favre several times, and took a trip down to talk to Favre about his decision to retire, Favre is the guy that decided to wait till TC was starting to make the commitment to come back, which by then was to late.

point is the team didn't move on from Favre, Favre for 7 months moved on from the team, Rodgers hasn't done that, and the team owes him about 50 mil. I don't see Rodgers giving that up, or his starting position either.

Yoop wrote: ↑

29 Nov 2022 07:05

TB 4

actually Ted and Mike asked Favre several times, and took a trip down to talk to Favre about his decision to retire, Favre is the guy that decided to wait till TC was starting to make the commitment to come back, which by then was to late.

point is the team didn't move on from Favre, Favre for 7 months moved on from the team, Rodgers hasn't done that, and the team owes him about 50 mil. I don't see Rodgers giving that up, or his starting position either.

All true.

Additionally, Favre was invited back that year. He showed up and met with McCarthy for several hours. McCarthy refused to take him back citing that Brett couldn't let things go and move on from perceived slights. Those who say TT ran him out of town are wrong. MM didn't want him and his attitude.

So hard to predict what can happen this offseason, but I don't think anyone really understands his contract and all the levers and dates and such.

And frankly I still think the contract is simply a placeholder, with a built in trade and retirement protection for Aaron, and the thing will just be ripped up again whether he stays, is traded, or even retires, I think they'll move some stuff around.

I think all we really know is that we got about $60 million we need to account for on the cap for money we already gave him. And again, come back, trade or retire, I think we can mostly move that money around between the next year or two or three if we want.

Aaron, we are moving on with Jordan.

-- Matt LaFluer - August 2023

But in all seriousness. Everyone knows what I would do. I'm ready to move on. That being said, I think our 2023 offense has a real shot be pretty darned good no matter who is taking snaps under center.

BF004 wrote: ↑

29 Nov 2022 08:04

So hard to predict what can happen this offseason, but I don't think anyone really understands his contract and all the levers and dates and such.

And frankly I still think the contract is simply a placeholder, with a built in trade and retirement protection for Aaron, and the thing will just be ripped up again whether he stays, is traded, or even retires, I think they'll move some stuff around.

I think all we really know is that we got about $60 million we need to account for on the cap for money we already gave him. And again, come back, trade or retire, I think we can mostly move that money around between the next year or two or three if we want.

Yeah, the contract is basically "you don't get to trade me to the Jets against my will, dictate my retirement or otherwise screw me over" -contract favoring AR.

The contract can be made work if AR plays, and there are outs in case of amicable trade or retirement. But if the Packers try to force anything upon AR, he has the leverage of a Tsar Bomba -level cap nuke.

If he leaves, he leaves because he wants to.

As much as I just want to play Love from here on out, best course of action is probably to let Rodgers continue if he can still go until we're eliminated, then IR him and let Love close this season out. You give Rodgers a chance to do all he could for the team this year, then shut him down to get healthy while Love gets a shot.

Sadly this will probably cost us draft position in a big way because Chicago sans Fields is one of the only teams sorry enough to lose to us, it will be like that Jets win in 2018. Let's hope the rest of the dominoes fall against us.

Ghost_Lombardi wrote: ↑

28 Nov 2022 20:12

It isn't the decision of the injured player to decide if he plays or not. If Rodgers needs surgery (the thumb), do it now. It protects from setbacks and second surgeries. As we learned with Bak, no surgery is routine.

My choice would be to sit Rodgers and cut him post June 1. That said, I expect him back in 2023-2024, and if so I want him at 100%.

Watson is enormously talented. Think what he could do with a full training camp and the QB building some chemistry with him.

I googled his thumb injury and it normally heals with rest and not surgery. If the medical staff tell AR & MLF he should not play this week he will not play.

From what I understand if we cut him the cap hit would be more crippling than if he returns. The only way he isn't our starter in 2023 is if we trade him or he retires.

Best thing for the Packers is to play Jordan Love the next 5 games. Best case scenario is the Jordan Love lights it up and we win 3 or 4 of those games. We are picking in the mid-teens and pick up whoever we want there. We don't need to grab a QB because we now have Love. Trade Aaron Rodgers for whatever we can get. 2nd best scenario, Jordan Love bombs the last 5 games, we don't win a single one of them and we are picking in the top 5. Trade Aaron Rodgers and use whatever we get as ammo to pick whatever QB we think is the future. Not a horrible situation to be in, but just a year late.

Pckfn23 wrote: ↑

29 Nov 2022 10:24

Best thing for the Packers is to play Jordan Love the next 5 games. Best case scenario is the Jordan Love lights it up and we win 3 or 4 of those games. We are picking in the mid-teens and pick up whoever we want there. We don't need to grab a QB because we now have Love. Trade Aaron Rodgers for whatever we can get. 2nd best scenario, Jordan Love bombs the last 5 games, we don't win a single one of them and we are picking in the top 5. Trade Aaron Rodgers and use whatever we get as ammo to pick whatever QB we think is the future. Not a horrible situation to be in, but just a year late.

I have a dream scenario but I dare not say it here.

Best case is Rodgers plays this week and bombs vs the Bears. His injury doesn't get better. We are eliminated and he goes on IR. Love gets the rest of the season. Plays really well and the offense does things giving us 3 wins to 4 wins to close the season as the young defensive stars also show great signs but as a collective Barry's scheme sucks and we hire the next great DC.