Aaron Rodgers opens up about standoff with Packers: 'People are coming here to play with me'

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Aaron Rodgers is back in Green Bay and on Wednesday he offered some insight into his months-long standoff with the Packers and what ultimately led him to question if he might be done with football altogether. 

The reigning MVP spoke at length in a press conference with reporters on the first day of training camp about his decision to skip out on voluntary OTA’s and minicamp amid a dispute with the Packers’ front office. 

"I think it was a lot of things that transpired," Rodgers said of how the issue first began. "This wasn’t a draft day thing. Started the conversation in February after the season ended and I just expressed my desire to be more involved in conversations that directly affected my job."

Rodgers has long disputed assumptions that he took issue with the organization after the drafting of backup quarterback Jordan Love in 2020. He went on to explain Wednesday that the issue stemmed from his desire to take on more of a recruiting role and the Packers’ decision not to utilize him. 

"I think we can all understand Green Bay isn’t a huge vacation destination. People are coming here to play with me, to play with our team and knowing that they can win a championship here and the fact that I haven’t been used in those discussions is what I wanted to change moving forward," he said. 

Rodgers said nothing changed at that point and was offered money as a way to appease him to which he replied: "it wasn’t about the money." 

"To me, it was bigger than this. It was about trying to be a resource for the organization that I care about and love so much." 

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Rodgers confirmed that another issue plaguing his decision to skip out on training was the Packers not being able to keep "a number of players that I feel like were core players to our foundation, our locker room."

He added that he even considered retiring. 

"At various points, deciding if I wanted to even keep playing but the first still burns and I wanted to be on the football team." 

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To the relief of Green Bay fans, Rodgers said that both sides were able to get "some things figured out in the last few days" which seems in line with comments made earlier in the day by general manager Brian Gutekunst who told reporters that the veteran quarterback has "earned a place at the table."