Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not making many friends within the old-school football community. That now includes Hall of Fame general manger Ron Wolf, who led the Packers’ front office from 1991-2000.
Wolf, 82, took to the media recently to absolutely blast Aaron Rodgers and other star quarterbacks who have been rumored to want trades during a drama-filled offseason. In the process, he called these quarterbacks “divas.” It was something else.
“We have a lot of divas playing in the league right now,” Wolf said. “I fail to understand that all these guys have long-term deals. I can’t believe the game has changed that remarkably,” Wolf said on the Big Show Network in Wisconsin. “These guys” are Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Each is signed for at least the next three seasons. Each reportedly and/or actually want to be traded to new teams.”
Those are some strong words from a respected football personnel guy who began his NFL career as a scout for the then-Oakland Raiders under head coach Al Davis.
But it shouldn’t be a surprise that someone with such an old-school mentality would have this take. Interestingly enough, one of Wolf’s first moves as the Packers’ general manager back in 1991 was to trade for Brett Favre.
During the latter part of his Packers tenure, some might have defined Favre as a “diva” due to his anger over Green Bay drafting Aaron Rodgers. Now, we’ve come full-circle.
The Aaron Rodgers drama
Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few weeks, you know full well that Rodgers has requested a trade from the Packers. He’s not happy with the direction of the organization under embattled general manager Brian Gutekunst. The 37-year-old Rodgers is also bent out of shape over Green Bay trading up for fellow quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
As for a potential trade, it appears that both the Packers and Rodgers are not willing to budge. It was reported recently that the reigning NFL MVP could opt to sit out the 2021 season or retire altogether should the Packers not trade him.
More-recent reports suggest that there’s a chance the two sides could somehow repair a fractured relationship. Given Aaron Rodgers’ perceived anger level, this doesn’t seem to be the likeliest scenario.
All of this comes as Rodgers plays out the final few seasons of the four-year, $134 million extension he signed with Green Bay back in August of 2018. In terms of his average annual salary, the future first ballot Hall of Famer ranks fifth among quarterbacks. That could potentially be part of the issue.
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