Any time the future of an all-time great hangs in the balance, the eventual resolution will have an impact on nearly everyone attached to said player.
With the uncertainty surrounding Aaron Rodgers continuing to loom large, Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy shared on Saturday that the ongoing saga has taken a toll on the Green Bay faithful.
"The situation we face with Aaron Rodgers has divided our fan base," Murphy wrote in his monthly column for Packers.com. "The emails and letters that I've received reflect this fact. As I wrote here last month, we remain committed to resolving things with Aaron and want him to be our quarterback in 2021 and beyond. We are working to resolve the situation and realize that the less both sides say publicly, the better."
Since reports of the star quarterback's private displeasure with the club became public on draft day, there has been no shortage of speculation, discussion and criticism as it relates to the 37-year-old's relationship with team brass.
Rodgers' decision to skip voluntary OTAs certainly did nothing to quell such chatter. Nor did Matt LaFleur saying last week that he doesn't know if the future Hall of Famer will attend mandatory minicamp when it opens June 8.
Despite the apparent disconnect between all parties, Murphy was not shy about voicing his support for general manager Brian Gutekunst, who will continue to play a pivotal role in this situation in the coming months.
"I have tremendous confidence in Brian Gutekunst," he stated. "In his relatively short tenure as our GM, he has completely turned around the fortunes of our team. He has put together a talented team (last year we had the most players voted to the Pro Bowl) that has a 28-8 record over the last two years, after consecutive losing seasons in 2017 and 2018, and has played in back-to-back NFC Championship games. Moreover, he has a great working relationship with Head Coach Matt LaFleur. He and EVP/director of football operations Russ Ball have managed our salary cap smartly and have us well positioned for the future."
Murphy, Gutekunst and LaFleur have expectedly not wavered in their desire to keep Rodgers in town. But, as the offseason continues to roll, it remains unclear how this will play out.
Next week will be a telling sign of where things stand.
