Aaron Rodgers may not be afraid of the dark, but he certainly doesn’t like being left in it.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback has been both “frustrated” and “emotional” over a “lack of communication” from the team’s front office while making personnel decisions this offseason, Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported Monday night, citing sources familiar with Rodgers’ mindset.
Specifically, Rodgers is upset the Packers didn’t consult him before firing quarterbacks coach, Alex Van Pelt, and releasing star wide receiver Jordy Nelson, per Robinson. The quarterback reportedly had “no influence” in either decision, a point of contention considering how closely he worked with both Van Pelt and Nelson.
“I know he’s thinking about that stuff when it comes to the next contract because he should have earned a voice by now,” one source told Robinson. “In other places with (elite) quarterbacks, consideration is given to those guys.
“I think Aaron wants to be engaged in some decisions. But that’s just not the way it works (in Green Bay). I think that’s obviously frustrating and it’s going to keep coming out.”
Rodgers’ frustration has come out publicly in the form of passive aggression: He referred to Van Pelt’s firing as an “interesting decision” made “without consulting me,” then included the hashtags #loyal and #stillcanplayball in an Instagram post about Nelson after the wideout’s release.
We can’t say we blame the Packers QB, either: He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the world and perhaps should be afforded at least some level of transparency from the front office, especially involving decisions that directly affect him.
Rodgers is signed through the next two seasons but reportedly is negotiating a contract extension with Green Bay, so any apparent friction between the two sides will be worth monitoring.
