Field Level Media
29 Jul 2021, 02:10 GMT+10
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn't hold back in the Wednesday press conference marking his return to the team and the end to an acrimonious offseason.
In the extensive session, Rodgers said he mulled retirement and wants input on personnel moves.
A day after reporting to training camp, Rodgers laid out how his offseason of discontent began in February.
That's when Rodgers said he expressed his desire to "help the organization learn from some of the mistakes in the past."
"I just want to be involved in conversations that affect my ability to do my job," Rodgers said. "As that progressed from that point, nothing really changed on that front."
Regarding his own future with the team, Rodgers said he wasn't given assurances beyond the 2021 season.
"That really wasn't given at any time," Rodgers said. "So for me, I had to assess the situation, not necessarily wanting to be a lame-duck quarterback, especially after an MVP season, which I think you can understand."
Feeling like he was batting 0-for-2 on two fronts that were important to him, a slighted Rodgers took a different tone in March.
"I felt like if you can't commit to me past 2021 and I'm not part of your recruiting process in free agency, if I'm not a part of the future, then instead of letting me be a lame-duck quarterback, if you want to make a change and move forward, then go ahead and do it," Rodgers said.
Then came April, when the initial report introduced the notion that Rodgers did not want to return this season. That's when the Packers got interested in enticing him back, according to Rodgers.
"I think what basically happened is they said, 'We'll give you some money now,'" Rodgers said. "Let's see if we can throw some money at you. I said from the start 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."
Then it was a summer of status quo for Rodgers, who skipped OTA and mandatory minicamp while mulling whether he wanted to return.
"I was really working on myself and my own mental state throughout the summer and at various points decided if I wanted to even keep playing, but the fire still burns and I wanted to be on the football team," Rodgers said.
"There's still a big competitive hole in my body that I need to fill," Rodgers said. "And as I got back into my workouts I just realized that I know I can still play and I want to still play, and as long as feel I can give 100 percent to the team, then I should still play."
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