Packers Not Planning To Trade Aaron Rodgers, Prepared To Call His Bluff

One of the major NFL storylines this offseason has been the standoff between Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Who blinks first? If it's the Packers, they'll give the star quarterback what he wants and trade him. If it's Rodgers, he'll give in and play for them once again in 2021. There's also a third possibility: neither party budges, and Rodgers retires to go host Jeopardy! or do something else.

Apparently, the Packers are willing to take the risk and call the longtime quarterback's bluff.

On Monday, Matt Schneidman with The Athletic reported that general manager Brian Gutekunst is standing strong that the team "will not" trade the league's reigning MVP. Even though more cap relief becomes available with a trade on June 1, that changes nothing from the Packers' end.

From all indications, Rodgers isn't willing to lie down yet either. Last week, he wasn't available for OTAs for the first time in his 16-year NFL career. So in other words, this is a standoff that doesn't appear to be ending anytime soon.

Schneidman does a great job of breaking down the financial implications for Rodgers if he chooses to retire for good. The money left on his signing bonus includes a whopping $6.8 million that he would need to be paid back. The decision to hang up the pads would be costly, but Rodgers has made plenty over the course of his career.

At the end of the day, the decision-makers in Green Bay are convinced he'll be willing to play for them when the time comes. We'll see if they're right. If not, a trade could still be facilitated at a later day, and several teams would probably then pursue the passing star.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.