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“Doesn’t Have as Many..”: 18 Years of Service Not Enough for Packers GM, as He Publicly Calls Out Aaron Rodgers for No Fault of His Own

Published 04/25/2023, 3:18 PM EDT

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It’s finally done. Aaron Rodgers is a New York Jets quarterback. The Packers and the Jets came to a conclusion in the long-drawn saga that saw the 18-year veteran embark on the Broadway-bound road for the 2023 season. Although not entirely a surprise, after Rodgers declared his intention to play for the Jets, Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst provided some candid explanations for the trade from the franchise’s perspective. Explanations that may come off as shocking to some A-Rod fans.

In his first press conference, since the trade materialized last night, Gutekunst listed more than one reason why the Wisconsin organization decided to move on from their Super Bowl XLV champion quarterback.

Gutekunst’s reasons for trading Aaron Rodgers

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History once again repeated itself on Monday night as the Green Bay Packers sent a 39-year-old quarterback to the New York Jets. They did it 15 years ago with Brett Favre. And now it’s Rodgers who is headed for the Metropolis. Well, it looks as though Green Bay has an issue with ageing quarterbacks, as that seemed to be the key motivating factor behind the Packers moving on from the 4x league MVP.

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I think where our team is at and obviously you know Aaron is up there at age. Doesn’t have as many years. I mean, he got some really good football left in him. But I think for us, as we got through the off-season and started talking about where we wanted to go. This made a little bit of sense to us,” Gutekunst said.

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Veteran Rodgers can prove his former GM wrong with a Super Bowl victory. Something Rodgers already has his eyes on. However, A-Rod will have his work cut out for him as he is headed to a QB-stacked AFC Conference.

Was Rodgers’ age the only factor behind the trade?

Besides Rodgers’ age, Green Bay also didn’t want to have their future quarterback, fourth-year passer Jordan Love, waiting on the sidelines. “We’re really excited about where Jordan can go. He needs to play. And having him sit another year would have delayed where we’re going and what we’re trying to build,” Gutekunst added.

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It’s still too early to declare a winner in the Aaron Rodgers trade. The Packers moved up to the 13th pick for this year’s NFL draft, while the Jets dropped to Green Bay’s 15. New York also got a 5th-round pick from the 2023 draft. The Packers secured 2nd and 6th-round picks from 2023 and a conditional 2024 2nd-round pick. However, that will become a 1st round pick if Aaron Rodgers completes 65% of all plays. Will New York’s 12-year playoff drought finally end with Rodgers manning the pocket?

WATCH THIS STORY: Aaron Rodgers in need of breathing space as Jets salary cap crisis hits rock bottom

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Written by:

Soumyapriyo Ganguly

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Soumyapriyo Ganguly is an NFL writer at EssentiallySports. Ganguly (or Rivu, as he is affectionately known) is a sports enthusiast and a comprehensive all-rounder when it comes to dissecting high-profile matchups. He brings his academic background in Economics and Finance to the fore to provide insights into franchise finances and player contracts.
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Edited by:

Hitesh Nigam