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Aaron Rodgers Explains What Led To Him Being Traded From Green Bay

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New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers delved into a lot of intimate, previously undiscussed details of his sometimes-messy split from the Green Bay Packers during a recent interview with The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.

There’s a lot to unpack (pun unintended, but appreciated after the fact) in Schneidman’s fantastic effort, but the headline is probably just how long this breakup had been brewing for.

Aaron Rodgers vs. Brian Gutekunst: A 3-Year Long Staring Contest

Rodgers was traded to the Jets on April 24. Almost three years to the day (April 23, 2020) that Green Bay drafted — and traded up for — his successor, Jordan Love. That move signified the beginning of the end for Rodgers in Titletown.

Rodgers being miffed by the Love selection is understandable. He was coming off a career-best, MVP-winning 2020 season. In fact, he set career highs in passing touchdowns (48) and completion percentage (70.7%).

His Packers came up just short of the Super Bowl in a 31-26 NFC Conference Championship loss to the eventual champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rodgers doubtlessly thought that a first-round draft pick could be better spent elsewhere.

Team brass, anticipating their quarterback’s disappointment, told him the Love selection was all on general manager Brian Gutekunst in an effort to salvage his relationship with head coach Matt LaFleur.

MORE: Tom Brady, Travis Scott, and Michael Rubin Mentoring Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Others

Nonetheless, when Rodgers speaks on it now he sounds disenchanted with every member of Green Bay’s decision-makers that had a hand in the Love selection.

“I had friends who said, ‘Hey, Matt looked super excited when they made the draft pick,’” Rodgers said. “And I said, ‘I don’t care, honestly.’ Like, they made the pick. They all signed off on it.”

Rodgers stewed on the Love pick for quite a while. Reportedly, he even had his agent, David Dunn, deliver an ultimatum to the Packers: trade Rodgers or fire Gutekunst.

But when the team reconvened for training camp in 2021, he had a Festivus in July, extrapolating on some of his numerous grievances with Green Bay brass (per another Schneidman piece).

Rodgers Wanted More of a Say in Green Bay’s Personnel Decisions

Rodgers wanted team brass to consider his input on personnel matters. He specifically lamented their decision to cut a receiver (Jake Kumerow), who he’d taken a liking to. Rodgers also spoke of numerous instances where he felt the team had maybe disrespected a prominent outgoing veteran, mentioning beloved Packers like Charles Woodson, Clay Matthews, and Jordy Nelson by name.

Rodgers expressed an unmet request to be more involved in personnel matters, specifically as it pertained to incoming free agents.

“People come here to play with me, to play with our team and know they can win a championship here,” Rodgers said. “The fact I haven’t been used in those discussions is something I wanted to change moving forward.”

(Sidebar: The Jets have definitely catered to Rodgers in free agency, landing two of his favorite former targets in Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard.)

As it pertained to his relationship with the aforementioned Gutekunst, Rodgers called it “professional.” An assessment the GM would later echo.

MORE: How the Packers’ Offensive Revamp Will Help Jordan Love

This song and dance continued until football season rolled around and, predictably, Rodgers went scorched Earth. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer locked up another MVP award for the 2021 season, his fourth overall, while leading Green Bay to a 13-3 finish.

Rodgers was rewarded for his efforts with a three-year, $150 million extension. That’s the headline anyway.

Packers Trade Davante Adams

Aaron Rodgers

A $50 million/per year headline is eye-catching no matter who you are. But the reality is it was essentially a one-year extension with maneuverability in Years 2 and 3.

The Packers soon traded Rodgers’ favorite target away — Davante Adams. And then Rodgers no-showed (voluntary) OTAs in 2022, something the team reportedly took exception to. And we’re back to square one.

“I won MVP without doing offseason workouts,” Rodgers said. “Like, was my commitment any less then? I’d say not at all.”

And yet, through all this thinly veiled animosity, both sides said everything was right as rain. Gutekunst said he expected Rodgers under center in Green Bay through the life of his contract. Rodgers envisioned himself retiring as a Packer.

Rodgers and Gutekunst Were Ready To Part Ways

The offseason was relatively quiet. So too, was 2022 for the Packers. After three consecutive 13-win seasons, Green Bay fell off and finished under .500 in 2022. The team reportedly encouraged Rodgers, then contemplating retirement, to take whatever time he needed to mull over his future in the offseason.

Rodgers and Gutekunst had supposedly planned on a meetup while the latter was out west on a scouting expedition. It’d never come to fruition. Call it a missed connection, if you will, but the introverts among us can read through Rodgers’ explanation.

“It was like, ‘Hey, I’m coming out west. I’m driving, whatever, you wanna get together?,’ Rodgers explained. “I said, ‘Yeah, I got a busy schedule. I’m working out, I got things going on, I got appearances, but I’d like to make it work, too.’”

Not much later, Rodgers was traded to the Jets. At his request. Gutekunst told reporters at the NFL’s annual league meetings that, despite his efforts to smooth things over with his QB, Rodgers was a difficult man to reach. Rodgers found his version of events inauthentic.

“Just tell the truth, you wanted to move on,” Rodgers said. “You didn’t like the fact that we didn’t communicate all the time. Like, listen, I talk to the people that I like.”

MORE: Troy Aikman Suggests Tom Brady Could Suit Up for Las Vegas Raiders in 2023

If it’s not readily apparent by now, both sides of this melodrama were ready to break up. Rodgers had his fill of (perceived) disrespect. Gutekunst was tired of catering to his malcontent (not to mention handsomely compensated) quarterback.

And there’s no shame in that. Most relationships don’t make it the 18 years that this one did. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing to emerge from this whole saga is how life has come full circle for Rodgers.

Rodgers was once the highly touted first-rounder looking to succeed a beloved and accomplished (albeit mercurial) veteran in Brett Favre. Much, of course, has been made of their dynamic over the years.

Now Rodgers will quarterback the same team his Green Bay predecessor wound up getting shipped off to. Time will tell how that unfolds, but to Rodgers’s credit, he expressed unabashed support and even a kind of kinship for his successor.

“(Love) gets a chance to blaze his own trails, be his own man and lead in the way he best sees fit,” Rodgers said. “Take the good things he learned from me; things he would do differently, do ’em differently. That’s what I did when I took over.”



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Taylor Swift Is Shown Chugging a Beer on the Jumbotron at Super Bowl 58

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Global superstar Taylor Swift made it to the big game to support her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce. In the second quarter, it was evident that she was having a good time at the Super Bowl after taking a 12-hour flight from Tokyo the night prior.

Taylor Swift Seen Chugging Beer at Super Bowl

Swift’s attendance has been highly anticipated, as many fans questioned whether she would be able to make it to the big game since she had been in Japan until Saturday for her Eras Tour.

Sure enough, she made it to the Super Bowl and was seen making a grand entrance alongside Blake Lively and Ice Spice.

Swift made it back to the States with plenty of time to make it to Allegiant Stadium to support Kelce. After a leg of her Eras Tour, where she performed several nights in Japan, the singer appeared to let loose.

In a box full of friends, Swift was shown chugging a beer with Ashley Avignone. She was shown on the jumbotron and slammed her cup down after she finished her beer.

There was a mix of cheers and boos as Swift was shown on the big screen, and a long pass to Mecole Hardman was the only highlight of the first half for Swift and her friends. The 49ers led the Chiefs, 10-0, late in the second quarter.

On social media, Swift garnered plenty of support from NFL fans.

If you’re hating on her you can kick rocks man she’s the best,” one user posted on X

“The one thing I learned this season is that she is actually fun,” another said. 

“Booing Taylor Swift chugging a beer is so soft. She’s just one of us now and I respect it ,” another posted. 

At the time of the beer chugging, Kelce, Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, has had one catch for a single yard. It came on the first possession, which ended up being a three-and-out. The Kansas City Chiefs hadn’t done much otherwise.

They did have a deep pass play to Hardman, which put them in the red zone, but Isiah Pacheco fumbled on the very next play — one that Kelce was surprisingly on the sideline for.

Swift and Kelce have garnered much media attention as their romance has taken off throughout this NFL season.

Swift was able to support her boyfriend at many of his games throughout the final stretch of the season, as her Eras Tour was on a break. But starting on Feb. 7, she went back on the road.

MORE: NFL World Reacts to Unbelievable Super Bowl Trick Play

Despite performing in Tokyo the night before the Super Bowl, she was able to make it in time to support her boyfriend due to the time difference and is having a good time doing so.

As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Fantasy Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.  Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review! Rather watch instead? Check out the PFN Fantasy Podcast on our Fantasy YouTube channel.





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What Happened to the 49ers Linebacker?

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The San Francisco 49ers sustained a massive blow during the second quarter of Super Bowl 58, as linebacker Dre Greenlaw left the game on a medical cart.

CBS Sports confirmed that the veteran Greenlaw suffered an Achilles tear, ruling him out for the rest of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

What Happened to Dre Greenlaw?

The outside linebacker, who had already been battling past injuries to his hamstrings and calves, left with what appeared to be a leg injury.

And somehow, his left leg looked like it buckled as he tried to trot onto the field with the Niners’ defense.

Greenlaw clutched his left leg in agony before being helped off the field.

CBS Sports sideline reporter Evan Washburn reported that the outside linebacker left with what was ruled as a lower leg injury. He was later determined to sustain an Achilles injury.

Greenlaw was declared out for the rest of the game.

Greenlaw Carted Off in Passenger Seat

Even more noticeable was where Greenlaw sat on the cart.

He ended up leaving not in the back of the medical vehicle but ended up riding shotgun with his leg injury.

One would think that with an injury like an Achilles ailment, medical officials would try to make the player as comfortable as possible before they leave. It wasn’t the case here.

MORE: San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart

Regardless, Greenlaw was replaced by Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles for the rest of the first half. Greenlaw became the most significant injury of the game.

As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Fantasy Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.  Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review! Rather watch instead? Check out the PFN Fantasy Podcast on our Fantasy YouTube channel.





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NFL World Reacts to Epic Super Bowl Intro From CBS

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Super Bowl 58 is here and it’s going to be exciting. The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are facing off in the final game of 2023.

CBS is broadcasting the game and the opening was nothing short of amazing. How is the NFL world reacting to the electric Super Bowl-opening video?

Epic CBS Super Bowl Intro Garners Reaction From NFL World

The video, which spanned four minutes and 19 seconds, featured players from both teams talking about the big game and what it means to them. It also featured their families talking about their journeys to this point.

“Amazing intro! Reminds me of my dad! Bravo on the intro!,” one NFL fan said on X (formerly known as Twitter)

Additionally, Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” played in the background, giving it a near-movie feel. “This was incredible.,” another person said on X. “And so, the @49ers and @Chiefs face that final curtain,” CBS Sports said.

The 49ers finished the regular season as the top seed in the NFC with a 12-5 record. After their first-round bye, they defeated both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions to earn their trip to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. Both of their victories came in comeback fashion, including an NFC Championship-record 17-point comeback.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, had a more uphill battle. Entering the playoffs as the AFC’s third seed, they finished the regular season with an 11-6 record. In the playoffs, they defeated the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens to punch their ticket.

Super Bowl 58 is a re-match of Super Bowl 54 when the Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31-24. The win was the first in Patrick Mahomes career, as he also won Super Bowl MVP. Four years later, the Chiefs have made three more and won another. For the 49ers, this is their first trip back to the big game since.

The game kicked off at 6:30 p.m. ET with the 49ers receiving the opening kick. In addition to being broadcast on CBS, the game is also being streamed on Paramount+.

As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast

Listen to the PFN Fantasy Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Fantasy Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.  Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review! Rather watch instead? Check out the PFN Fantasy Podcast on our Fantasy YouTube channel.





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