GREEN BAY — A year removed from selecting Jordan Love — and knocking over the first domino that now has the Green Bay Packers wondering if quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be back under center this season — Brian Gutekunst was recalling the night he’d traded up for the former Utah State quarterback.
It was the first day of the 2021 NFL draft. Several hours before the Jacksonville Jaguars were going on the clock with the first overall pick, Rodgers’ private displeasure with the Packers had spilled into public view via an ESPN report.
As a result, Gutekunst, the Packers fourth-year general manager, wound up fielding more draft-night questions about the situation with the three-time MVP than queries about this year’s first-round pick, Georgia cornerback Eric Stokes.