The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots made several headlines last week. From chippy practices to suspending their preseason game due to a horrendous injury, their team names were intertwined a great deal. As some may recall, it was not the first time this year that this was the case.
Back in May, NFL analyst Craig Carton reported that the Patriots had made a trade offer for four-time NFL MVP and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, according to Carton, turned them down because he did not want to play for head coach Bill Belichick.
Of course, the Packers ended up trading Rodgers to the New York Jets for a first-round pick swap, 2023 second round pick, and 2024 conditional second round pick (becomes a first round pick if Rodgers plays 65% of the snaps on offense).
There is just one problem, though, with Carton’s story and what we have been led to believe as true over these last few months: according to Belichick, trade talks with the Packers were never that serious, if they even happened at all.
New England Patriots HC/GM Denies Talking to the Green Bay Packers About an Aaron Rodgers Trade
Coach Belichick was a guest on The Greg Hill Show on Audacy’s WEEI 93.7. During his interview, he was asked about the Patriots’ trade discussions with the Packers this offseason regarding Rodgers. Belichick stated:
“I personally didn’t talk to the Packers about Aaron Rodgers.”
Now, this does not mean that no one in the Patriots’ front office wasn’t in contact with the Packers about what it would take it get Rodgers. All it means is that talks never progressed to the point that Belichick, as the general manager of the team, would have gotten involved.
Since Belichick was not involved, a trade cannot have been offered. And if a trade was not offered, Rodgers could not have turned it down.
Rodgers has previously revealed why the Jets were the team he wanted to play for in 2023 (and beyond), but the notion that he would refuse to play for Belichick did not make sense at the time of the report back in May. The two future Hall of Famers have immense respect for each other and have spoken highly of each other in public.
It makes much more sense that a trade was never offered.
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