I was opposed to the extension, and I was vehemently opposed to the absurd amount of guaranteed money it entailed (though not as bad as what the Vikings offered Cousins, obviously). I don't believe for a minute that Rodgers would have walked had the Packers not made him the highest-paid player in the league, and if he had, fuck him. The winningest quarterback in the league is nowhere close to the highest paid -- on a year-to-year basis, at least -- so what has our quarterback done since 2014 to warrant that kind of remuneration? I've observed before that no team in the past couple of decades, and perhaps ever, has managed to win a Super Bowl after making their quarterback the highest-paid player in the league. With the exception of the Patriots, the winning formula these days seems to be a young, athletic, cheap quarterback surrounded by a talented offensive supportive cast and a reasonably dominant defense. The Packers are just about the antithesis of that right now, although they have some good pieces to build around.
Somewhere around 2014, and certainly by 2015, I started to sour on Ted Thompson, because it was becoming apparent to me that he was going in the same direction that Bill Polian had gone in Indianapolis: relying entirely on his quarterback to carry the team and compensate for shortcomings elsewhere. After Polian got deservedly fired, I figured Thompson would eventually be shown the door if he didn't turn things around, which he never succeeded in doing. After years of his making the same mistakes Polian had, it was time for him to go.
I like a lot of Gutekunst's ideas, but overall, his splashy free-agent acquisitions haven't panned out (not that Wilkerson's injury is his fault, of course), and I think he got off on the wrong foot with the premature extension of Rodgers. I know the salary cap continues to rise, but I hope Rodgers' contract doesn't become a millstone surround the Packers' neck. As much as I love the surgical style Rodgers used to play, I'd rather invest that money in a suffocating defense and win Super Bowls, even if that means doing it with a young, inexperienced quarterback who throws an extra interception here and there
It's too early to throw in the towel, obviously, but the early returns aren't good. Whoever takes over as head coach is going to need to have a firm hand and hold Rodgers accountable for the little things, even if that means sending him to passing camp and forcing him to play more preseason reps.
Incidentally, I doubt there was ever any serious chance to of Joe Philbin being handed the reins next season, but if there were, I hope Rodgers' concussion slammed that door shut for good.