Philadelphia Eagles: Aaron Rodgers’ trade request feels way too familiar

The Philadelphia Eagles might be experiencing some deja vu when reading the latest Aaron Rodgers trade rumors/request.

How’s that old football saying go?

“Drafting a backup quarterback with a premium pick despite already having a franchise QB on the roster is the best way to win a Super Bowl?”

Oh wait, that’s not a real saying? Weird.

For the second time this offseason, it looks like we could be nearing a big-time divorce between a star quarterback and the team that drafted them. First it was Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles, now it could be Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the reigning NFL MVP has reached a breaking point with his current team:

The funny part about all of this? It’s for pretty much the exact same reason that Carson Wentz wanted out of Philadelphia.

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Brandon Carwile of The Packers Wire wrote a really good piece detailing the mess that Green Bay currently finds themselves sitting in, and how it all pretty much kicked off with the drafting of Jordan Love:

"Rodgers was clearly off-put by the team’s first-round selection last year. He had a tall glass of scotch and quickly came to the realization that he is expendable. He’s never received any help from the organization as far as drafting an offensive skill position player in the first round. Since taking over as the starter in 2008, the Packers haven’t drafted a wide receiver in the first round. In fact, that hasn’t happened in Green Bay since Javon Walker in 2002. The 2020 NFL draft felt like a good time to do so.After the 2019 season ended, it seemed fitting to get Rodgers more help. The offense was good, but he relied heavily on his go-to receiver Davante Adams. Adding another pass-catcher would take some pressure off of the dynamic pair and also serve as an act of good faith toward Rodgers and the last years of his career.However, the Love selection has now driven a wedge between organization and player. Rodgers isn’t any happier about the pick than he was a year ago. Maybe he’s trying to recapture some leverage he feels he lost. Or maybe the relationship is fractured beyond repair, and he just wants to play somewhere else."

Similar to how Howie Roseman misread his former franchise quarterback during last year’s NFL Draft, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst did the same. He massively undervalued the effect that using a first-round pick on a QB would have on Rodgers, disregarding the idea that his MVP-caliber quarterback has human emotions like the rest of us.

Unlike Wentz, Rodgers went on to dominate the 2020 regular season. He added another MVP to his trophy case, and took the Packers to the Conference Championship game, albeit falling by the hand of Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

During the season, people were quick to cite Rodgers as an example of how Wentz “should’ve responded” to the drafting of Jalen Hurts. While Rodgers obviously outplayed Wentz, their reactions to a replacement being drafted underneath them was pretty much the same – it pissed them off.

The Packers are heading down a path similar to that of the Philadelphia Eagles.

One of the most commonly forgotten aspects when it comes to professional sports as a whole is that these athletes are human beings, with regular human emotions like the rest of us. This isn’t the latest edition of “Madden” on the XBOX, players typically don’t enjoying watching their front office invest into players who are meant to take their job.

Just like you wouldn’t like it if your boss hired your replacement tomorrow morning, NFL quarterbacks don’t like seeing their teams pivot away from them.

While it’s unknown if Rodgers will be traded prior to the 2021 season beginning (an MVP has never been traded the year after winning the award), this should hopefully serve as a warning shot to the rest of the NFL. Value and respect your franchise arms – or else.