x
Breaking News
More () »

How close was Aaron Rodgers to being traded?

Former ESPN personality Trey Wingo joined Peter Bukowski on the Locked On Today podcast to talk more about how close Aaron Rodgers was to leaving the Packers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. β€” Aaron Rodgers is back with the Green Bay Packers. He arrived at training camp on time as scheduled two weeks ago after he reportedly came to an agreement with the team to alter his contract and hopefully improve his relationship with the front office.

Things hit the fan, so to speak, with Rodgers and the Packers this offseason as his discontentment grew to a point where he reportedly didn't want to play with the Packers and they reportedly looked at trading him.

Former ESPN host, analyst and personality Trey Wingo joined the Locked On Today podcast on Tuesday to talk more about what he learned about Aaron Rodgers' discontentment with the Packers organization and how close they really were to trading him.

SUBSCRIBE: The Locked On Today podcast hosted by Peter Bukowski gets you caught up each morning on the biggest stories in sports without taking up your free time. Listen here.

Wingo was one of the people reporting early about the offseason issues between Rodgers and the Packers.

"Aaron was told, and I can totally understand why the Packers would say they didn't say this, and it's probably in their best interest, but he was told they were going to trade him," Wingo said on Locked On Today. "And then they said, well we changed our mind. And Aaron is, as Mark Murphy has said on many occasions, a complicated fella. And he was like, it doesn't work that way. You know, no, we're done. And he was very adamant about that."

Wingo said this offseason drama is not some isolated incident between Rodgers and the Packers.

"Aaron's discontent, whether ill conceived or ill perceived goes back years," Wingo said. "After the 2017 season, they fired his quarterback coach without telling him, who he had a great relationship. And then he really wanted someone else besides Gutekunst to be the GM and that didn't happen. Then, of course, they trade up in the draft in 2020. They made an aggressive move to get Jordan Love. Then, of course, right before the season starts in 2020, he goes on and talks about how he trusts his receivers and how Jake Kumerow was a big part of that and they caught him the next day. So it's a long list of things that led to what could have been the breaking point between Aaron and the team. And that sort of manifested itself this offseason."

Wingo said Rodgers showing up to camp on time with all indications that he'll play has a lot to do with both the restructuring of the contract to get rid of the 2023 year, the addition of Randall Cobb, and the Packers allegedly agreeing to look to trade him after the season if that's what he wants.

"The way this is set up, this is what the Packers wanted to do from the beginning anyway," Wingo said. "Once they drafted Jordan love, they wanted Aaron Rodgers for two more seasons. And then they want to turn over the keys to the car, the franchise to Jordan Love...So he got a little bit of more control of this contract situation. And he got somebody he wanted back, which would be Randall Cobb. Whether or not Randall Cobb is going to make a difference one way or the other is almost irrelevant in Aaron's mind. It's, 'I wanted this thing to happen.' And for the first time in a long time, the organization said yes, we will make that happen for you. And I think those two combination of things are why Aaron is where he is right now."

Also on today's Locked On Today

  • The NBA never sleeps, especially in Vegas.
  • Luka Doncic to sign a supermax rookie extension with Dallas. Is he a Mav for life?
  • New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley returned to practice Monday for the first time since tearing the ACL in his right knee early last season.
  • For the first time in a week, quarterback Deshaun Watson was back at practice with the Houston Texans.
  • Carmelo Anthony spoke about how he and LeBron decided now is the time to come together in his Lakers introductory press conference on Monday.
  • Women of Red is the Buccaneers fan club for women, and they were invited to get an up-close look at the Super Bowl Champs as they get ready for a new season. 



Before You Leave, Check This Out