Aaron Rodgers might not have full-fledged disdain for the Packers like countless recent reports have suggested.
News broke hours before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft that claimed Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay. While that might be true, perhaps we shouldn't view it as a completely personal attack from Rodgers against the only NFL franchise he's ever known.
If you ask John Kuhn, who played alongside Rodgers for nine seasons in Green Bay, the three-time league MVP simply wants to be in complete control of his future.
"He's conflicted because this man loves to play the game of football, this man loves to be a Green Bay Packer and this man truly sees careers," Kuhn said on CBS Sports Radio's "The Zach Gelb Show," as transcribed by ESPN. "He's watched friends leave, he watched Brett Favre's career toward the end. He's watched all these things play out in front of his eyes; he's taken notes throughout his career. He's seen some situations that didn't feel were done or finished the way that they could or should have.
"He's just trying to take his earned destiny within his own hands. To that effect, I actually admire him because not many players in the NFL have that opportunity. I sure as heck didn't. I played until everybody told me 'you can't play anymore,' and it's a humbling feeling. Aaron Rodgers has an opportunity to take a little bit of that power."
Kuhn's sentiment suggests it was not Rodgers who ignited the firestorm of rumors and reports last week. And if the sides end up going their separate ways, the breakup might not be as messy as currently expected.
Regardless, it's becoming tougher and tougher to envision Rodgers under center for the Packers this fall.
