One week after Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy said the team’s standoff with reigning league MVP QB Aaron Rodgers has “divided the fanbase”, he recalled former GM Ted Thompson referring to Rodgers as “a complicated fella”.
Murphy made the comments Thursday during an event at Lambeau Field.
Rodgers, who is coming off the third MVP season of his career, made his intentions clear during the offseason about not playing for the Packers. He has remained entrenched in that decision, failing to attend any team events including mandatory minicamp. The Packers can fine him north of $90,000 for the absence or they can excuse him. If Rodgers fails to attend training camp, the Packers cannot waive those fines.
In an appearance on SportsCenter with Kenny Mayne, Rodgers briefly discussed his reasons for wanting a split. He repeatedly mentioned the seemingly nonchalant approach of the organization towards players’ contributions and refuted the notion that the team drafting Jordan Love played a part in his decision.
Murphy, in his column on the team website, said both sides realize the less they say about the situation publicly, the better. However, this is the second instance in a week of Murphy’s words creating more problems for the team and its franchise QB. Perhaps Green Bay’s top officials really should stop saying anything.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Packers have the sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl (+1600) and the fourth-best odds to win the NFC (+800). They are favored to win the NFC North (-121) but there is no win total currently set, likely due to uncertainty surrounding Rodgers. The line opened at 10.5.