Packers GM noncommittal on starting QB for 2023 season

INDIANAPOLIS — There has been little or no conversation between the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers since their end-of-season meetings more than a month ago, and until they reconvene, general manager Brian Gutekunst will be publicly noncommittal about who his quarterback will be this coming season.

While it did not necessarily represent a major shift in the organization's thinking, Gutekunst would not go as far he did in previous sessions with reporters when asked Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine whether he wanted Rodgers back for the 2023 season.

«He's a great player, but until we have those conversations, I think all options are on the table right now,» Gutekunst said during a 35-minute sit-down with reporters who cover the Packers. «But we really need to have those conversations. We want what's best for the Green Bay Packers, what's best for Aaron. So, we'll get to that once those conversations happen.»

Later, when addressing the national media, Gutekunst said that other than a few text exchanges with Rodgers, «we haven't had the chance to speak yet.»

His stance Tuesday was slightly different from that on Dec. 6, when during the Packers' bye week, he said he wanted Rodgers back for next season. Then, on Jan. 13, when discussing Rodgers' situation after the season, Gutekunst implied that he still believed Rodgers gave the Packers a better chance to win than if Jordan Love were to take over.

If nothing else, Gutekunst has left himself with an out if the two sides decide to part ways. Rodgers is owed nearly $60 million in guaranteed money if he plays in 2023 as part of the $150 million contract extension he signed last March.

«I don't know if things shifted,» Gutekunst said. «I think with a player who's played as