Earlier this offseason, Aaron Rodgers reportedly declined a contract extension from the Green Bay Packers that would've tied him to the franchise for five more seasons and made him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
Is this further proof that Rodgers' days with the Packers are over? One of the franchise's legends doesn't believe so. He's still holding out hope that the reigning league MVP returns to Green Bay at some point this year.
"I think he is a guy who really thinks about legacy. I really do," former Packers linebacker LeRoy Butler told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Friday. "When you hang around all the stars that he's always hung around, that's what they talk about -- championships, playing for one team, fanbase, everything you need. I really think that, at the end of the day, he's going to sit back when he's 50 years old and say, 'You know what, I had an issue with the Packers and it was on philosophy...'
"Sometimes we get into our feelings as players, thinking that we run the organization. And we don't. But I think how you're talked about really bothers players... Players nowadays care about their image, their legacy... But to not be there on July 27 [for training camp] sends a message to the locker room that maybe you're bigger than the locker room. And you don't want to do that... You just don't want to send mixed messages to your teammates, and I think that can be a problem."
Last season, Rodgers completed a career-high 70.7-percent of his passes for 4,299 yards with 48 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The 37-year-old also set three NFL records -- including the most games with a passer rating over 120.0 in a season (10) and the most games with three-plus touchdowns and no picks in a season (9) -- and led the Packers to an appearance in the NFC title game at Lambeau Field.
According to Spotrac.com, Rodgers has three years remaining on his contract with the Packers, and his cap hit of $37.2 million in 2021 is expected to lead the league.
The entire Rodgers-Packers conversation between Butler and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.