I agree with everything here...I really think someone let the cat out of the bag that GB wanted Ayuik. Was it Gute? Was it MLF? Someone in the MN and or the SF front offices knew. I'm guessing the trade was consummated early...we will see if that plays out better than it feels right now.

So Brian Gutekunst, who built a fantastic passing attack out of Day 3 picks and UDFAs, really wanted a superduper WR?

And there was never a plan to put a legitimate QB behind Rodgers?

And the Packer brass didn’t even know that the players they wanted had already been drafted?

I don’t think this “theory” is worth the time it took to read it.

I believe the answer to be whichever one irritates you, the reader, most.

I seem to recall that Indy was interested in Love and that's why GB moved up which would imply that GB wanted Love in the 2nd round but knew he wouldn't be there because of Indy's leaked interest, or GB simply couldn't make a second round move to secure Love before Indy.

If GB really considered a WR, surely they could have traded up to get one in the first round, but it appears they had no intention as they still could have gotten a good one in the second round and ignored them also.

I think Rodgers is correct in his belief that the plan was to be rid of him by trade before this season, but Covid happened and no camp for Love was the wrench in the plan and the FO needed to reset, but an SB appearance this season may make that reset an issue and an issue that has or allows Rodgers to be more dictatorial in the result.

Article warrants a BIG "whatever." As for me, I did not think GB should have drafted a QB that year. I certainly would NOT have moved up to pick a QB. And I definitely would not have picked Jordan Love.
BUT, if Love succeeds AR 12, and he turns out to be a serviceable signal caller, I'll admit I don't know jack.
However this all plays out --- G.P.G.!
The Szotman

To borrow and tweak an old Clairol commercial, Only Gute's hairdresser(barber) knows for sure. These theories are fun reading to kill the summer dead space, but it's time for football now. Really can't change what really did happen. Did anyone see where Adam Schefter spotted 8 alien space ships ordering takeout at 3AM at Denny's?Go Pack Go!

The Breer scenario makes the Packer draft room look like a total clown show. The standard scenario makes Gute look like a GM with draft savvy but no interpersonal skills. Since he was trained by the poster boy for the “Lacks Interpersonal Skills Society”, Ted Thompson, I would tend to believe the latter.

It appears that some reporters had to go through the recycle bin to dig up this story. Just a gratuitous bit of revisionist history. Yawn...

Anyway you put it, based on this story, Gute screwed up mightily that may cost the Packers for years to come. If AR leaves and Love doesn’t pan out, Gute needs to be fired. As well as MM who allowed all of this to happen.

Don't believe a word of it.

I was really looking forward to a written roundup or two by CHTV on the doings on the field at Family Night.
Here I go six days without commenting on the Aaron Rodgers melodrama with remarkable self-control ;-) and now I'm being tempted to go back.
***
All I'm hoping is for Rodgers to focus on quarterback, and for the front office not give in to any more requests from Rodgers unless they are truly good for the team.
I don't want Rodgers to be rewarded any further for his self-absorbed holdout and his petulant press conference. I don't want anything more to be done to make Rodgers happy; if he isn't happy by now, then trade him.
I'm truly rooting for Rodgers to rise to the occasion, which is rallying everyone involved with the Packers -- including the front office, coaches, teammates, and fans -- to unity in an all-out effort to win a Super Bowl.
I don't want him commenting on which players he likes in training camp, or whether he wants to play in preseason games, or how the offense could be tweaked, or anything else that belongs to the role of the front office and coaching.
***
Please, Aaron, just do your job as QB, which is already a considerable challenge. Please think about the fans once in awhile, too.
Please, CHTV, write more on what's happening in training camp and in preseason games, and less on the Rodgers Saga unless there is a clear and compelling breaking of news.
***
P.S. I'd still like a report on all the players who were supposedly jerked around by the Packers in the allegations of Rodgers, and whether or not there is much there there.
It seems Rodgers signed his last mega-contract in 2018 after some of these atrocities of kicking players to the curb had already taken place, but without any protest on his part.
Since then the Packers have re-signed three of our own: Bakh, Clark, and Jones. Isn't that a good reflection on the ogres in the front office?
If Rodgers is on target to a significant extent in his criticism of how horribly the front office has handled player relations (so bad that we as fans have had to suffer through the uncertainty of his status while he hosted Jeopardy and vacationed in Hawaii) -- then I hope I'll admit that I was wrong.
Until then, I'm really bothered what appears to be a fiasco by Rodgers in deceitful and/or delusional self-righteousness. People can tell me to get over it. However, the real question is whether Rodgers can get over it.
If Rodgers continues to hold a grudge in a sly and skulky way, this season seems doomed to some kind of huge letdown somewhere along the line before February 2022.
The way Rodgers has behaved makes me glad we drafted Jordan Love and have him as a backup to his moody self-importance.

When a young QB with raw ability becomes surprisingly available and the current QB is 36, drop everything and take the QB. Especially in todays pass driven NFL. This plan works better than waiting until the team is 5-12 and thrusting a young QB in a starting role with a poor team. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

After watching Love and his fumbling last night I wonder if all this was worth it from Gute to Rodgers and the crap in between?

We do not know, we likely never will. A whole lot of belief on both sides. The purpose of this discussion is?

This article creates more questions than it answers. If the Packers saw the OTs and WRs they were after going off the board they should have tried to move up earlier than they did. Perhaps they tried and failed.

Secondly after all their targets were off the board shouldn’t they have traded out of the 1st round for maybe 2 additional picks rather than giving up a 4th to move up for Love, who allegedly they were not looking to pick? Again, they may have tried and failed to trade out of the first round.

Third, if the trade with the Dolphins was agreed to earlier why was it announced with only 40 seconds left on the clock? That doesn’t benefit either team in any way.

Fourth, if the Packers didn’t intend to draft Love why not commit to Rodgers beyond 2021? Is it all an attempt to justify their decision to spend a 1st and 4th on Love?

We’ll never get the full, true story from the Packers FO. They will always insist that Love was their guy regardless of their reason(s) for selecting him. However, this review of the 2020 1st round presents a Packers “war room” that is unprepared and/or divided on how to proceed with their board. Not a very good look for Gute.

How well Love develops in his career will ultimately impact Gute’s future either positively or negatively. It’s way too early to make a call on Love either way at this point.
Thanks, Since ‘61

Gute probably wanted a WR but when they were all gone a QB was his next plan of attack. He was drafting for AR's replacement, there is no doubt about that. Time will tell if that was the right move. My feeling is Packer MGT is now on the transition clock.

I think he traded up for Josiah Degura , but when Gutey realized he can overdraft him on the third round he said who has the easiest name to spell on the draft card and "Jordan Love" is simple enough to spell. He couldn't spell Tee higgins or chase claypool so he went with Jordan Love ..

I've never been a fan of these reports from unnamed sources, and after summer full of nothing else about 12, Gute, and all of that, I am more than ever reluctant to click on them. Yes, I clicked on this one. A mistake.

Gute had to get to #21 to pick Jefferson. Gute somehow is incredibly cheap with a measly draft pick and would rather spend 20 plus million on a 30 plus WR instead of move up to #20 for a #1 WR on a fresh rookie contract....Nobody moves up and holds a pick in the draft outside the top 1-5 picks. Gute was too cheap to get to 21, then SF moved up and got their guy and Gute moved up for Love. Gute new what he did when he did it. Nobody moves up that late in the draft early and waits. The consolation was Claypool that we did not have to move up for. AR threw the ball away a lot in the first year of ML offense and the SF game butt fumble, etc. did not look good.
AR probably changed the ML calls at the LOS a lot and Gute, just decided after the blowout loss in the NFCC game AR was not going to get us a SB win. We are built to win now with a lot of money riding on it. I think AR is motivated to get it done this year...Maybe retire...Maybe sign a longer term deal with an escape clause...Maybe win and give FO the finger....It could be any of those scenarios.

Why not trade out of the first round then and add depth at D line or corner or receiver I don’t buy they made a random pick for a QB .

This is what happens when you are consistently picking at the end of the round. I wanted to see the Packers pick a WR also but have no problem with the Love pick after the way things developed. After all the retreads we had at backup QB it was past time to invest in the position. I just think no one imagined how thin-skinned Rodgers would be about it.

It is difficult to believe that the Front Office “ traded up” for one particular player unless they acquired the draft pick of the team “currently on the board”.

To trade up and loose a 4th rounder without 100% certainty that the one desired player was absolutely there and theirs to select would be some sort of “ draft felony “.

To select a QB as the team’s Number 1 draft choice ( together with a 4th round pick ) has to imply the FO had lots of research and a high interest on that QB -and - must have considered the likely reaction from their current future HOF QB at seeing his replacement selected as the team’s Number 1.

And it would seem reasonable that at some time prior to the selection both the Head Coach and the Team President were made aware of the potential drafting of a Round One QB to soon replace their current HOF bound QB.

The drafting of “ the heir apparent “ obviously would have ramifications with the current occupant of the QB throne.

Did the FO “ trade up “ to take a particular WR at 26 as suggested in the article?

While an interesting thought , there is not enough evidence presented to support the WR trade theory.

I've wondered the same thing since they drafted Love. Why trade up for a guy many evaluated as a third round pick? It would have made more sense drafting Patrick Queen as he would have started and the salary would have gone to a starter. Plus Tim Boyle was no worse or better than Love. I think Gute is average at best in terms of evaluating talent. The first draft other than the first pick was a disaster. Second draft good to great. Third draft terrible. This year not bad. Really odd how his talent evaluations some years jive with pundits and others are distantly off.

Shorter Irons: I got nothing...

One big fly in this ointment. The Niners, Jets, Jax did not draft a QB to spend three years in development. If the Pack traded Rodgers they would have had super draft capital to move up and grab a great QB and probably a Jefferson too.
You dont take a Love and let him take his time to learn the system and find out he cant cut it and you spent a 1, money, and time for nothing.
If he cant read a defense he is more then useless he is costly. The top guys chosen played Div I in tough competition and suceeded. Love isnt a plan. He's third round backup

MLF was fist pumping when they drafted Love. Would they have taken Jefferson? Probably, but when he was gone Love was clearly their guy.

There is no way to make any sense of the Packers choice to trade up for Jordan Love. They jumped teams that were not going to draft a QB. It makes even less sense if they were moving up to draft a WR that was already off the board. I hope to gawd they are not that stoopid.

It's not the only head-scratcher trade up. Savage was rated much lower by the DIC. Maybe they could have sat tight and gotten him anyways. Maybe not, I suppose. The most baffling choice of all was giving up a 4th to move up for Amari Rodgers in the 3rd. No matter how good you think Rodgers is, that's too much to give up. Because the operative word is "think". You don't know. It's the draft. You never know.

Gute's use of draft capital to move up has me wondering if he lacks the patience to be great at the draft. I don't have much issue with his picks. It's still a little early in his tenure to really make an informed judgement. But he seems to think that 4th round picks are poison or something. It's crazy the way he gives them away.

After all this commotion makes me wonder after watching Love last night if drafting him at all was a very bright move! Watching him fumble twice and never even trying to recover either leads one to believe he is either afraid or doesn't have QB instincts to try and recover the ball. He ran away from the ball after fumbling rather than going towards it! Typed same message and for some reason the owner of this column was chicken hearted and removed the truth!

It is interesting how everybody here knows which player is valued as excellent (1st round pick), which one as very good ( 2nd round), good etc. So every one here knows how to draft. Interesting.

I admit I'm completely clueless which player should be drafted in which round. But I notice that many publicly made draft board contains 80% busts through first 3 rounds. Like Johnny "The Football" Manziel or predicted 1st round pick QB, who is trying today to stay in NFL as TE. That guy from Florida.

Also, I see how many would trade 20 years of your team for 1 SB. That is selfish. Ask Jets fans, or Lions fans etc.

How ridiculous was decision of Bill Belichik to start 6th rounder QB instead of "proved" NFL QB. Today Packers QB, Aaron Rodgers would love to be in his boots

And, at the end of this comment, I just want to ask you all, do you remember how many fumbles had AR during his TCs and 2 first seasons as stating QB.

Even Mahomes was sitting behind Alex Smith for one full year! And, do not forgot that this is really the first season for Jordan Love.

Thank you

Should not have traded unless their guy was there. SF outmaneuvered them and they panicked. Love was not a first rd talent

I don't need to speculate to form my opinion. I doubt that GB traded up while not noticing that the players they wanted were gone.

I think Gute thought AR was declining. Whether that was due to age or an inability to be coached or a combination of both is unimportant.

The timing was off. The draft was in May. GB knew there would be no OTAs, and there was more TC than I thought the NFL could pull off. GB knew no OTAs, no minicamp, probably no preseason games and probably a truncated TC, if it wasn't eliminated entirely. Perhaps they thought there would be no season at all and the contracts would toll.

AR wanted to be a Packer for life. He wanted to play five more years at least. Spare me the Shailene theories since that is 100% speculation.

The contracts were off. Drafting a QB meant that the QB position would have one cheap year on a rookie deal plus a 5th year option. GB took a $1.4M dead money hit when they traded Favre.

Everyone knew Love was a project and probably needed a year and probably more. [See the next line.]

FO knew AR held grudges and was a diva. I wrote that AR had a little diva in him several years ago, but at least he doesn't have his own special locker/locker room. [Maybe the Love selection motivated AR but no one knows that.]

The team was very good, but needed more talent to get over the hump. Didn't get much immediate help, and probably lost more than it gained.

The only way it makes sense to draft Jordan Love is if Love turns out to be at least pretty good - top 12 QB, I suppose. Even then it is still preparing for the future at the expense of the present. It makes more sense to select Love if he is a top 7 QB. Maybe he will be.

I realize there are a lot people whom dislike Gutekunst and also alot of Love haters. Some seemed determined to prove he is a bust and a wasted pick. Those are the ones loving this article and trying to point out operational malfeasance.
The notion Brian Gutekunst had no idea what he was doing draft day and was targeting a WR and other players and then just happened to randomly trade up for a QB because that's all that was left is ludicrous (not the Rapper)...GMs do not trade up in the 1st to randomly go get a QB....this is not even how draft boards and war rooms work. Love was targeted, he was his guy and likely MLF's guy too. When they were close enough pick wise to make a deal and get him, they did. It really is that simple. Did Gute want to trade up for Love? as the title of this ridiculous article tries to sow that doubt, YES he did.......That's why he did it.......As far as trading a 4th to move up?? Who cares???? 3rd day picks are draft currency and that is how Gute sees it here too. Why? Simple. Because most 3rd day picks don't hit..for every Aaron Jones or Bahktiari there are 40 other ones not getting 2nd contracts. I have zero issue with trading a pick to go get a guy you targeted and you believe to be a core player. Same with Amari Rodgers, Gute thought about taking him in the 2nd. He went up and got his guy in the 3rd.

I also don't doubt the Packers "liked" Aiyuk. But Gutekunst didn't trade up for Aiyuk. He traded up for Jordan Love. Get over it, no the Packers didn't draft a WR over a year ago. Get over it...

The Packers had multiple chances to win the NFC Championship game against Tampa in the 4th quarter, at home. Had Rodgers played well in those crucial possessions none of this would have been an issue.

Can we maybe stop living in the past and move on already?

Horribly speculative and just plain dumb analysis.

EVERYBODY on earth was clamoring for a WR and it was rated a very high position of need by all analysts across the country.
It's also well known that Gutey likes the guys with a high RAS and ranks each round and position calibrated to a RAS value.

SF was not informed, nor did a magic psychic foresee it for them.

They knew that with Jefferson gone the Pack would pick Aiyuk.

WHO DIDN'T?

No one.

Which is why there is no conspiracy or leak.

Also, Gutey is exceptional at drafting. He takes a more modern and scientific approach. Then teaches football (or hires good guys who do).

He's already 10 times better than Thompson, who had one or two good ones early in the Rodgers era and then stuck for over 10 years until he was gone.

I think Gutey was being honest on draft night, when he said that they had been planning to move up for other players, but they were gone, so they decided to move up for the quarterback they really liked.

After this week's report, it seems like they had a tentative trade worked out with Miami, but the OTs, Jefferson, and Aiyuk were gone. So they had the choice to go through with the trade or stay pat. They really liked Love, so they went ahead with the trade.

My understanding of a draft board is this: you take the highest rated player. Some teams pick the highest player based on need, others pick the highest player available.

There is no way of knowing for sure who will be available when you pick. How many drafts have the 'experts' picked wrong?

You have 10 minutes at most to make the selection. 10 minutes! Not an hour, a day, less than a quarter-hour!

My take is Love was among a pool of top players left on the board among the top picks. The Packers first round value picks were gone. When it looked like another team might draft him, Gute made the move regardless of position or need. It was gutsy and long term might be genius depending on how Love turns out.

The idea that the Packers would call pseudo-personnel director Aaron Rodgers and talk to him about it is really wacko. They simply didn't have time. Love appeared to have the potential to develop given time.
So long term, what pick might work out to the greater good, an offensive tackle, a lesser receiver or a potential franchise QB?

It's not that difficult to figure out. But the 30-something guys who have Aaron's jersey on their bedroom walls all think the Packers did a dirty on 'poor' Aaron. It doesn't work out that way and just might pay off long term. If Love doesn't work out, you move on. Ted Thompson didn't NEED to draft a QB in 2005. He shocked the world and did, but somehow this current situation is different. Thompson had no idea Rodgers would still be on the board. He made a gutsy call and it paid off.

Time for all to recognize the Packers front office wants the team to succeed, not do a dirty on the QB.