Buying Ownership Stake In Bucks Signals That Rodgers “Trusts the Process”

When turning on the Milwaukee Bucks playoff game on Friday night I had no idea how significant this must-win game for the Bucks would become for The Green Bay Packers.  Not only did the Bucks win game three, but the sports world found out that Aaron Rodgers finalized a deal to purchase a minority ownership stake in the Milwaukee Bucks.  Suddenly, Aaron Rodgers tweet adamantly dispelling rumors that he was upset with the franchise was given validity and was more than just a diplomatic ploy to erase any drama that these erroneous rumors had caused.

Aaron was being genuine when he said the reports were all part of “fake news Tuesday“.  Suddenly, the outcome of the Bucks game became secondary to the ramifications of what this announcement meant to the Green Bay Packers moving forward.  By agreeing to purchase a stake in the Bucks, Aaron Rodgers was essentially announcing to the world that he would be signing a lifetime contract with the Packers at some point within the next year.  Wheeew, what a sigh of relief for the 75,000 plus citizens of Green Bay Wisconsin who hit the panic button on Tuesday when false reports began to surface.

In 2014, Rodgers told us all to “R-E-L-A-X, in 2016 his slogan was “Run the Table”, now heading into the 2018 season the slogan is to “Trust the Process”. Rodgers is certainly backing up his words with actions.  In an interview with Fox Sports Milwaukee, Rodgers mentioned how working out a deal to purchase a minority stake in the Bucks was special because of his 13 year connection to the region, and his desire to continue to have a tie to the state, and his desire “to finish his career here” (with the Packers).

By this purchase, Rodgers is literally putting his money where is mouth is, and silencing all reports that there were growing tension and frustration with the Packers front office.  Becoming a minority owner of the Bucks shows that he has clearly,  put his desire to remain with the Packers ahead of his personal feelings about the departures of Alex Van Pelt and Jordy Nelson.

This purchase shows that Rodgers is open to discussing an extension to stay in Green Bay whenever the Packers are willing to talk.  Furthermore, Rodgers feelings about his future in Green Bay shows that the relationship between the player and the organization is becoming more and more fluid.  Clearly, for Rodgers to “trust the process” as much as he does, he must have more of an insight into the plans of the organization then we had come to believe.

For those who have ever questioned Rodgers desire to stay in Green Bay, and whether establishing his legacy alongside the likes of Starr and Favre really meant something to him, now see his passion and desire to be known as one of the best to ever wear the green and gold as well as his desire to bring the Packers another Superbowl championship.  Rodgers comments showed the type of person that he is.

By laying low and not talking much this offseason, Rodgers has shown a reflective side of himself that makes him the quiet leader that he is and why the Packers are privileged to have him as the face of their franchise moving forward.

Rodgers silence showed his reflective process. He recognized that the franchise was in a transitional period and needed to retool the roster in order to create a stable infrastructure and create another window to win in the future.  He realized that the Packers wanted to keep him as the focal part of their franchise, remain a perennial contender in the NFC North, and slowly replace the nucleus of the roster.

These past two off-seasons have shown that the Packers have had a process of their own, upgrade at the skill positions and address weaknesses in the roster while continuing to develop a young nucleus and gain experience through their growing pains.  Rodgers vote of confidence in the franchise shows that he believes that Gutekunst’s plan is within a year or two of coming to fruition and that he believes the Packers will become perennial super bowl contenders in the years to come.

——————

David Michalski is a recent college graduate from Princeton New Jersey who has been a life long Green Bay Packers fan. Like the great Vince Lombardi, he values God, family, and the Green Bay Packers in that order. You can follow him on twitter at @kilbas27dave

——————