Aaron Rodgers Already Trying to Recruit Players to Join Him on New Team

Tensions are high between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers right now. There has been no sign of anything resembling reconciliation between the two sides since draft night, when Adam Schefter broke the news of Rodgers' displeasure with the organization and his desire to play elsewhere in 2021. There have been, however, a host of juicy rumors and veiled comments made by current teammates to keep the news cycle churning.

I bring to you the latest episode in that particular series as Ian Rapoport reported yesterday that Rodgers and the Packers are still upset with each other. They're "not in a good place," as he noted, but they have been actively negotiating a big long-term extension offer, so they are presumably on speaking terms. For now.

Rapoport also corroborated a report that came last week from fellow NFL Network insider Mike Garofolo that Rodgers "has spoken to several different players about joining him somewhere else."

As can be expected from this stage, the wording is purposefully and delightfully vague. Who are these "other players?" Are they teammates? This isn't the NBA, where Rodgers' best teammates can convince the front office to trade them, too, or mail it in so badly that the team just tells them to stay home then buys out their contracts. If they aren't teammates, who is Rodgers talking to? The free agent pool isn't exactly overflowing with talent a Hall of Fame quarterback wants by his side now that we're three months into the offseason. Is Rodgers calling up Dede Westbrook or washed-up Richard Sherman trying to pull together an extremely discounted Superteam?

Furthermore, does Rodgers already know where he's going to end up if and when the Packers capitulate and trade him? Rapoport merely said "somewhere else," but is that what Rodgers is saying to the players he's trying to recruit, too? Just telling them to hang in there until he gets traded to one of 25 other cities in the country? A tough sell, if so.

But if Rodgers actually has a specific team in mind already (like, say, Denver) and is telling other players that he's going to land there, it's only a matter of time before that piece of information gets out to the general public. Which would be fun for us on the outside and extremely detrimental to Green Bay's attempt to trade him. Which is what Rodgers wants, so he wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize that opportunity. Right?

Honestly, who knows. But the rumor mill will keep turning.