During the 2021 NFL Draft, the league aired a commercial hyping the best matchups of the upcoming season, including a highly anticipated quarterback duel between Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
Just a little over a week later, with the NFL set to release its 2021 schedule on Wednesday (May 12), the league has released a new version of the commercial that replaces “Rodgers vs. Mahomes” with “Jackson vs. Mahomes,” in reference to the Chiefs-Ravens game that will pit the Kansas City quarterback against Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.
Although this doesn’t mean fans won’t be treated to a Chiefs-Packers matchup this season, the promotion being pulled serves as an admission that the NFL isn’t sure whether Rodgers will be playing for the Green Bay Packers this year.
The move arrives just a little over a week after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Rodgers is “disgruntled” with the Packers and has told some in the organization that he does not want to return next season. Since then, trade rumors have swirled as the reigning MVP and Green Bay have been locked in a standoff.
The latest update came Sunday morning courtesy of ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, who revealed on SportsCenter that league sources believe Rodgers “wants to be out west” if he gets his wish and is dealt by Green Bay.
“The Packers are still actively looking for solutions here,” Fowler said Sunday on ESPN. “They’re trying to keep an open line of communication with Rodgers and his agent Dave Dunn, so no traction in the short term. But many people around the league believe Aaron Rodgers is indeed dug in and there’s a belief by some that he wants to be out west. Denver is a team that’s buzzing in league circles. I was told by a source that Denver is monitoring that situation right now. But they’re also coming out of the draft days and they’re in a ‘team building’ mode. They really like Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater, so they’re not committed or tied to anything. Talking to people around the league, they say 60/40 they think Rodgers is dealt.”
