Contrary to popular belief, the sky might not be falling in Green Bay.
That's what James Jones believes, at least.
Jones, a former NFL wide receiver who played eight seasons with the Packers, probably has better insight into the current Aaron Rodgers ordeal than most. Speaking Thursday on NFL Network's "NFL Now," Jones refuted some believed notions about the ongoing saga and expressed a sense of optimism that Rodgers and the Packers will be able to work things out.
"I speak with Aaron all the time," Jones said, as transcribed by NFL.com. "I talk to him a lot and it has nothing to do about getting the GM fired. It has nothing to do about getting a new contract and getting money. Everything that Aaron Rodgers has done since he's been a Green Bay Packer, this is not him, he's not a guy that's going to go out there and leak all this stuff and say he wants out of there and be giving all this stuff to the media. That's never been him.
"So, whoever leaked this or whoever's coming out saying that, as a friend of Aaron Rodgers, I can say that it's not him. And it's never been him to do anything like that. So, when the organization side of it comes into place and you talk about him and the GM and the head coach working together, I think it's fixable, I think they'll be able to get that stuff done. But I think that's what it's about."
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter echoed Jones' sentiments Thursday, reporting it was neither Rodgers nor the Packers who was the catalyst of this news storm. Perhaps it was a team interested in Rodgers trying to force Green Bay's hand. We might never know.
Either way, Packers brass has stood firm in its stance that the organization is not trading Rodgers. In turn, there effectively are two possible outcomes here: Rodgers and the Packers mend fences -- which Jones believes is possible -- or the three-time MVP sits out the 2021 campaign.
