When Aaron Rodgers was left 'frustrated and emotional' after Packers shut him out of key decisions

Months before the 2018 NFL season, Aaron Rodgers felt sidelined as his then-team, the Green Bay Packers, made a series of major personnel decisions.

At the heart of his disappointment was the team's decision to release the veteran QB's trusted WR, Jordy Nelson in April 2018 and the departure of QB Coach, Alex Van Pelt in February 2018.

Rodgers and Nelson played together for nine long years before the WR joined the Las Vegas Raiders. On the other hand, Alex Van Pelt went on to join the Cincinnati Bengals and took up a similar role.

“Both of those decisions [with Nelson and Van Pelt] were made without him,” revealed a league source close to Aaron Rodgers, as reported by Yahoo Sports in April 2018. “In both situations, he had no influence with [the front office] before anything went down.”

The fact that his former team, Green Bay Packers reportedly disregarded the role he had earned as a leader over the years made Rodgers both “frustrated” and “emotional.”

The source continued:

“In other places with [elite] quarterbacks, consideration is given to those guys. I think Aaron wants to be engaged in some decisions. But that’s just not the way it works [in Green Bay]."

In addition to this situation, the brewing tension between the Packers and A-Rod coincided with the quarterback's negotiations for a contract extension.

Green Bay Packers took care of Aaron Rodgers with a big fat paycheck

Syndication: Journal Sentinel - Source: Imagn

Aaron Rodgers' contract extension dilemma was put to rest one month before the beginning of the 2018 NFL season. Keeping all the growing tensions behind, the Packers locked in their franchise quarterback for the long haul on August 29, 2018. As he signed a four-year deal worth a $134 million contract extension, Rodgers became one of the league's highest-paid players.

Despite his knee injury in 2018, Rodgers's miraculous comeback against the Chicago Bears kickstarted the season. However, throughout the campaign, injuries plagued him, including a concussion in the season finale, as the Green Bay Packers fell short of postseason contention.

Over the next four years, Rodgers kept playing for Green Bay, leading the team to the NFC Championship (2019) and winning his third MVP (2020) and fourth MVP title (2021).

In 2023, after a long tenure with the Packers, Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets, where he currently plies his trade at the age of 41.