Former Packers Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike Holmgren has watched the Aaron Rodgers-Packers schism grow from afar, and while both sides have received some criticism for the falling out, Holmgren puts the burden on the Green Bay organization.
Speaking on a recent episode of ESPN Chicago’s “Carmen and Jurko,” Holmgren put the burden of failure on the Packers, saying that the team mishandled the read on its superstar quarterback, and its failure to communicate with Rodgers is the biggest issue.
“It’s not good, that’s for sure,” Holmgren said. … “I can’t imagine the relationship, a relationship between the coach, or management, or whoever’s making the decisions, and a star quarterback like that — getting to this point, I just can’t imagine it. I wouldn’t allow it. It wouldn’t happen.
“Now, it has happened, and I would call him in, we’d sit down and not leave until we kind of have an understanding, one way or the other. Either he’s gonna continue playing, or he’d have to … the ball is in his court. … They (the Packers) didn’t handle it very well, I don’t think. They didn’t handle it very well.”
MORE: How the rift between Rodgers, Packers grew
Holmgren compared the situation to one when he was with San Francisco in the 1980s, when the 49ers traded for quarterback Steve Young, and how the 49ers cared for the thoughts, opinions and feelings of their players, but put the future of the organization first.
“Bill Walsh didn’t tell Joe (Montana) they were bringing Steve Young in,” Holmgren said. “He just did it.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time Green Bay has dealt with a tough situation involving a future Hall of Fame quarterback and his heir apparent: The stakes were the same when Green Bay drafted Rodgers in 2005, while Brett Favre was still slinging it for the Pack.
Favre would continue to play for Green Bay through 2007, with Rodgers taking the reigns in 2008. History repeated itself when the Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love in 2020, but there’s no telling when the Rodgers era will end in Green Bay.
Though, if the reported schism continues to grow, that end may come sooner rather than later.
