Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t go the nuclear route.
According to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, Rodgers did not opt out of the 2021 NFL season by Friday’s deadline.
The opt-out option – which was also available to players last season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic – would have cost Rodgers an entire season, but it also would have been a more financially beneficial option if the future Hall of Fame quarterback is indeed hellbent on never playing again for the Packers, who have dug in on not trading the 2020 NFL MVP.
Friday’s deadline came and passed with nothing from the quarterback’s side.
More than likely, the opt out for Rodgers was a potential threat but never a serious option. He might have used the opt out as a way to gain some brief leverage over the Packers or help force a trade, but actually opting out would have cost Rodgers the chance to play football – in Green Bay or elsewhere – this season.
With the deadline passed, the threat of an opt out is now over. And the focus of the conflict between Rodgers and the Packers can shift back to July 27, when training camp is expected to begin in Green Bay.
Will Rodgers report to camp? We’ll learn much more about this ongoing rift at the end of the month.
