Packers puzzled as talks with QB Rodgers 'never transpired'

PHOENIX — If Aaron Rodgers wanted direct conversations with the Green Bay Packers about their direction and his future, then one high-level team executive believes the quarterback should have responded to their attempts to reach him this offseason.

General manager Brian Gutekunst said Monday at the NFL annual league meeting that he tried unsuccessfully to reach Rodgers «many times» since their final meeting in January shortly after last season.

This after Rodgers said less than two weeks ago on the Pat McAfee Show that the Packers were not direct with him about their intentions and how he fit into their plans for the 2023 season.

«I was really looking forward to the conversations with Aaron to see how he fit into that,» Gutekunst said Monday. «Those never transpired. So there came a time where we had to make some decisions, so we went through his representatives to try to talk to him (about) where were we going with our team. At that point, they informed us that he would like to be traded to the Jets.»

Gutekunst said he was under the impression that after they concluded their end-of-season meetings in, they would talk again after both sides had a chance to assess the situation.

«Our inability to reach him or for him to respond in any way,» Gutekunst said, «I think at that point, I had to do my job and kind of reach out (to other teams) and understand that a trade could be possible and see who was interested.»

Rodgers said during his most recent appearance on McAfee's show that when he left Green Bay for the offseason, he was under the impression that he was welcome back for a 19th season but that something changed by the time he emerged from his darkness retreat in late February something had changed.

«I wish that in the