Aaron Rodgers has been the starting quarterback and the primary face of the Green Bay Packers for 13 years. But over the past year or so, his cozy link to the team and its city has looked threatened.
On Tuesday, Rodgers, 37, failed to appear for a mandatory minicamp, upping the ante on his dispute with the team about his future in Green Bay. He faces a fine in the $100,000 range for his decision.
It's the latest in the ongoing fracas between Rodgers, the NFL's reigning most valuable player, and the Packers, one of the league's most storied franchises and his NFL home since the team drafted him in 2005.
Here's what has happened to produce the stalemate and how it could end.
Jan. 7, 2019: A change at the top
The Packers hire Matt LaFleur as head coach. The consensus is that this will provide a fresh start for Rodgers in Green Bay, since he reportedly clashed often with the former coach, Mike McCarthy. Rodgers had been seen mouthing criticism of McCarthy's sometimes timid calls on the sideline.
April 23, 2020: An un-elated Rodgers
Heading into the 2020 draft, Rodgers — in charge of directing and executing Green Bay's passing game — decides that the Packers are in need of receivers. On draft day, when the team traded up to the 26th pick in the first round, he later tells a reporter, he "perked up" only to see his team select … a quarterback, Jordan Love of Utah State.
By all accounts, Rodgers is not happy.
"I was definitely surprised," he told NFL Media last July. Noting that he had recently become a tequila aficionado, Rodgers adds, "I went to the pantry, I poured myself about four fingers and I knew it was going to be one of those nights where people start calling."