Aaron Rodgers: Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur ‘hopeful’ quarterback will stay with team | NFL News

Uncertainty remains surrounding Aaron Rodgers’ future at Lambeau Field after the Green Bay Packers were eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers in their divisional round playoff; Team wants the 38-year-old veteran to return for 2022

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Watch the amazing closing stages of the AFC and NFC divisional round matches from one of the greatest NFL weekends in history

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur remains hopeful that Hall of Famer quarterback Aaron Rodgers will remain with the team next season.

Rodgers’ future is again in doubt after the NFC’s top seeds were beaten 13-10 by the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional playoffs on Saturday, making them the first team in NFL history to win 13 or more games in three straight seasons without advancing to the Super Bowl.

As opposed to the controversial offseason of a year ago, when a disgruntled Rodgers and his only NFL employer seemed destined for a split, Packers head coach LaFleur made it very clear Monday that the team wants their 17-year veteran to return for 2022.

“Every conversation that I’ve been involved in with Gutey (general manager Brian Gutekunst) and Russ (director of football operations Russ Ball) and Mark (president Mark Murphy), we’re all on the same page there,” LaFleur said Monday. “There’s no debate.

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Highlights of the San Francisco 49ers’ clash with the Green Bay Packers in their NFC Divisional play-off game

“I sat down and talked to Aaron [Rodgers] today for quite some time. I think we’re all a little numb to the situation right now and, so, I would say that what we talked about, I’m definitely gonna keep between him and myself, but we’re hopeful that he’ll be back next year, obviously.

“This guy has done so much for such a long period of time for this organization, for this city, for this team, and so I want to be respectful of his process. Whatever he needs to go through to make the best decision for himself, and, certainly, we would love for him to be a Packer and be a Packer until the day he decides to retire.”

Matt LaFleur remains ‘hopeful’ Aaron Rodgers will extend his career with the Green Bay Packers

The 38-year-old did not disappoint this season, throwing for two or more touchdown passes in 15 of his 17 games and tossing up elite numbers (4,115 passing yards, 37 touchdown passes, four interceptions) for what may turn out to be the fourth MVP season of his career.

Rodgers said after Saturday’s loss that while he will not drag out a decision about his future past the start of free agency on March 16, he also doesn’t plan to stick around if the team decides to start from scratch.

“I don’t want to be part of a rebuild if I’m going to keep playing, so (there will be) a lot of decisions in the next couple months,” Rodgers said of the Packers.

To keep Rodgers, the Packers would need to sign him to a long-term extension due to the team being projected to be nearly $45m over the 2022 salary cap. His cap charge in 2022 is $46m, negotiated intentionally by Rodgers last offseason when his disdain for the front office came to light.

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Rodgers says he’s going to take some time away before making a decision on his future as the top seed Packers exited the playoffs with a loss to the 49ers

LaFleur said he wants the Packers to do “everything in our power to try to get him back here and making sure he’s comfortable with the direction of our football team.

“There’s no plan for a rebuild,” LaFleur added. “You get this close, obviously win a lot of football games, and we know in order for there not to be that, he’s gotta be a part of this thing. I don’t think that’s anybody’s intention.”

The NFL playoffs continue this weekend when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game live on Sky Sports NFL from 8pm Sunday, followed immediately after by the San Francisco 49ers at the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game at SoFi Stadium.