Although there is newfound optimism that Aaron Rodgers will play for the Green Bay Packers this season, CBS Sports NFL analyst Amy Trask believes that the organization's lack of communication with their franchise quarterback shouldn't be excused. They still deserve blame for the long-reported standoff.
"When Kansas City had Alex Smith on the roster and knew they were planning on taking Patrick Mahomes in the draft, they picked up the phone and they called Alex," Trask told The DA Show on Monday. "And they said, 'Look, this is confidential, this is our plan.' On the other hand, Aaron had to learn about the drafting of [Jordan Love] on TV, with everyone else who was watching the draft. I think that was a tremendous, tremendous error on Green Bay's part.
"Alex kept the information confidential, as asked by the team. I'm confident Aaron would've done the same... Kansas City handled it well. I don't think Green Bay could've handled it more poorly. You don't let Aaron Rodgers learn about that on television with the rest of us."
Rodgers, the reigning league MVP, reportedly declined a record-breaking contract extension offered by the Packers earlier this offseason. The deal would've tied him to the franchise for another five seasons, and made him the highest-paid quarterback in the league.
During an interview with ESPN in May, Rodgers said that his discontent with Green Bay has to do with organizational philosophy, and denied that their first-round drafting of Love in 2020 was an inciting incident. Following the first round of this year's draft, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst did admit to reporters that the team "could've done better" in communicating their previous draft plan and process with Rodgers.
Rodgers completed a career-high 70.7-percent of his passes for 4,299 yards with 48 touchdowns and just five interceptions last season. He also set three NFL records -- including the most games (10) with a passer rating over 120.0 in a season -- and led the Packers to an NFC title game appearance.
Green Bay, which opens the regular season against the Saints in New Orleans on Sept. 12, is currently the favorite (-120) to win the NFC North, according to the William Hill Sportsbook. The team also has the fourth-best odds (+900) to win the conference.
The entire football conversation between Trask and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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