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The Green Bay drama kicked into overdrive on Friday. First, Packers receiver Davante Adams reportedly broke off negotiations with the team in a manner so rough that there are no longer any plans to renegotiate, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport called the relationship between team and player ‘in a bad place.”
Then late on Friday night, rumors swirled that a handful of betting sportsbooks have taken all Packers-related bets off the board because they believe franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be announcing his retirement next week.
Then as the clock crossed over to midnight on the east side of the country, both Adams and Rodgers went to Instagram to address the controversies... in their own cryptic way. Both players posted an image of former Bulls stars Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
— Pride of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) July 24, 2021
There are multiple ways to interpret the message here, but the most obvious one is a reference to the recent Jordan documentary series, “The Last Dance.” The documentary follows the final season of the Bulls’ dynasty after general manager Jerry Krause made it abundantly clear that head coach Phil Jackson wasn’t going to stick around, causing many of the players to consider their future elsewhere. The Bulls then make a spirited run in the NBA playoffs that results in the dynasty’s final championship (sorry, spoilers).
So it appears Rodgers may be saying that they know the Packers dynasty—which, notably, has only featured only one ring under Rodgers to Jordan’s six—is coming to an end, so he and Adams will have one last ride with the Packers before moving on.
But this isn’t the first time Rodgers has compared his situation to that of the Bulls’. Several reports suggest he’s already referred to Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst as “Jerry Krause.” So is it possible that Adams and Rodgers have already enjoyed their last ride?
It’s hard to say, but considering Adams still has one more year on his contract, I think it’s most likely that the two will suck it up for a year, try to make a championship run, then end the (I’m being generous with this word) dynasty.
What do you think?