Mike Holmgren says Packers mismanaged Aaron Rodgers situation

Add former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren, third in franchise history in winning percentage, to the growing list of respected individuals who realize the club made a mistake by trading up to select quarterback Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL Draft when Aaron Rodgers was still in his prime and capable of winning Most Valuable Player honors and at least one more Super Bowl with the right pieces around him. 

Holmgren guided the Packers to a championship in the 1990s but was with the Seattle Seahawks when Green Bay spent a first-round pick on Rodgers in 2005 so he could sit behind then-starter Brett Favre. Per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Holmgren blames the Packers for Rodgers' reported unhappiness with the organization this offseason that may or may not include the QB's desire to be traded, depending on the latest update and report. 

"This is the second time the Packers have gone through this. They went through it with Brett too when they drafted Aaron," Holmgren explained during a Friday appearance on ESPN Radio in Chicago. "With a franchise quarterback and a guy as good as Aaron, you don’t treat all players the same." 

Holmgren added that he wouldn't have let Rodgers become so unsettled that he would threaten to never play another down for the team. "I just can’t imagine it," Holmgren said. "I wouldn’t allow it. It wouldn’t happen." 

Earlier in the day, PFT's Mike Florio suggested Rodgers and those in his circle "could be laying the foundation" for the QB's triumphant return to the Packers. Money talks, as the saying goes, and Green Bay meeting the future Hall of Famer's demands for a contract extension could be all that's needed to repair the relationship before summer training camp sessions.