As the Packers turn their focus to the approaching regular season and leaving behind their offseason histrionics, Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst painted a more promising picture of his relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers than it presumably has been.
With Rodgers' disharmony having been the story of the offseason, the reigning AP NFL Most Valuable Player previously called his relationship with the Green Bay GM a "work in progress" and let it be known he felt he should at least be "part of the conversation" when it came to the team's roster.
Talking the day after the NFL's cut to 53-man rosters, Gutekunst spoke of better communication between he, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Rodgers.
"I've had really good conversations throughout camp with Aaron and Matt, and I think the communication has been really, really good," Gutekunst told the media on Wednesday. "As we went into this kind of decision-making period, I think everybody -- all the people that are kind of involved in that -- were very aware of what was going on and why we were doing what we were doing. So, I feel really good about that. And the conversations that I've had with Aaron have been excellent."
Rodgers made his return to the Packers facility on July 28 and unloaded a great many issues he's had with the Packers brass amid one of the more memorable news conferences in NFL chronicle. During the presser, he tabbed his relationship with Gutekunst as "professional at this point."
In early August, Rodgers offered a report of advancement between the two.
"I think it's a work in progress. I think relationships aren't formed in a matter of a couple days," Rodgers said. "There's time where the respect grows and the communication follows. I think the greatest relationships that you have with your friends and loved ones involve conversations and flow. You can not talk to a close friend for a few months and pick up right where you left off."
Rodgers' future beyond the 2021 season remains in question, but the season ahead has all involved with their eyes on the prize of winning a Super Bowl after two straight seasons of NFC Championship Game losses.
During portions of the summer, there was doubt of whether Rodgers would be back on the Packers' 53-man roster. Now, excellent convos are being had in Green Bay and progress seems to be being made.
