In all walks of life and in just about every career opportunity that exists in the United States, the individual employee decides under what type of circumstances he or she will choose to go to work. He or she will determine how much monetary compensation is sufficient and what level of respect and treatment is satisfactory enough to base a career there; to show up and put in hard work. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. Season after season. Everyone has a choice.
Well almost everyone.
Whether you’re a urinal-scrubbing custodian doing yeoman’s work for 60 hours a week or a high-priced scumbag lawyer paying off his third home in Boca Raton, in most cases, you can quit working for who you currently work for and go find an environment better suited to your optimum level of comfort.
And isn’t that what America is all about?
Freedom.
The freedom to live your life the way you want to.
The freedom to work for people you want to work for and, who demonstrate in the commessurate manner, that they too want to work with you. That they value the relationship and the unique things you bring to the table.
And maybe most importantly: The freedom to pack up your shit at a moment’s notice and say, “You know what? I quit.”
Take this job and shove it.
Never was there ever a more American mantra. Really it’s more like an American birthright.
If you don’t like the way things are going for you in your current job, you always have that right to seek greener pastures. Polish up the ole resume, freshen up that impressive list of references and early in the morning, before you rush out to your despised current job or after you get home from another miserable day, crack a beer and go about finding yourself a new place to work. Economic Darwinism at its finest.
Everyone has a choice, right?
Unless you’re Aaron Rodgers of course. Because if you’re Aaron Rodgers, who many would say is in the conversation for the most talented quarterback in NFL history, you would think someone like that would have some say in how he lives out his life and how he plays out his days. Certainly he should, right?
Nope.
And right now the player who would be the most sought after in the entire league if he entered free agency is Aaron Rodgers. Yet Rodgers is forced to play for coach Mike McCarthy. He’s held captive by team president Mark Murphy and GM Brian Gutekunst and can’t go apply his trade wherever he would like. He is completely and totally stuck and he can do not one thing about it.
Well there is one thing.
How would you like to be in the conversation as being the best ever at what you do for a living and yet have zero control about where you live, where you work, who you work for and how you’re treated?
So now it (allegedly) comes to light that Rodgers is seeking an opt-out clause in his contract. Some on this site have made that out to be nothing but a money issue, that Rodgers wants to be the highest paid player moving forward and for many years to come.
That may very well be, but I think it’s more about having the freedom to be happy and make decisions even a janitor can make about his life.
It’s not always easy being Aaron Rodgers.
EN 
ES 
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He is employed by the NFL, and he is under contract. That’s the way it works. There are plenty of jobs throughout the United States where employees are working under contract.
And it’s not true that he doesn’t have any other choice. He could retire from the NFL and become the best quarterback to ever play for the CFL. He could retire and become a broadcaster. Or since he is insanely rich he could just retire and live the rest of his life doing whatever he wants.
99% of us work in at-will employment scenarios. I sure as fuck didn’t sign a contract committing or pledging XYZ-Years of my professional career to my current employer.
99 percent? Try again!
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/22/578825135/rise-of-the-contract-workers-work-is-different-now
Poor Aaron Rodgers, he must be the only player in the NFL being held to a contract that he signed and agreed to. As I see it, no one is holding a gun to his head and forcing him to stay in Green Bay. If he want’s out so bad he can refuse to play until he gets a new contract or until he’s traded. You can take your pick at the plethora of other players who have done this as an example.
You are an idiot. Rodgers could have selected a different profession right out of college. How about something that pays a bit less than $100,000,000. He could have had a career in the military. Those folks have little or no choice with duty stations in wonderful locations around the world. Wonderful places like Afghanistan or Diego Garcia. If he achieved the rank of Captain in the Navy / Coast Guard or Colonel in the Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force (pay grade O-6) his base pay would be a whopping $9500 a month, at 20 years of service. He made his career choice years ago and his contract is a mere “occupational hazard”, just like his $100,000,000.
That’s the thing when you sign a contract, isn’t it? Both parties are tied to some conditions.
When that signing was done (and Rodgers willfully signed it), he became the highest paid player
in the league.
There is so much wrong with this column, I don’t know where to start.
^^FTW^^ (YET AGAIN)
the word contract exists to mean agreed commitment.
contracts can be broken, but there are known consequences written in the contract, which is why there is a contract.
when there is a contract, there is commitment to play by rodgers
AND AND AND
commitment to pay him.
If packers didnt pay rodgers, rodgers would seek damages.
If instead rodgers didnt show up, like Martellus Bennett walking away, team would seek damages.
It is two way street. Symbiotic relationship.
Willingly committed to by both parties.
If one side wants to reneg (renegotiate), they can offer that instead of walking away.
Un-American?
Get out into the real world. I once had a job with a residency requirement. Many of those still exist. My friend’s wife is a vet, when she left the clinic she didn’t like working for, she was forced to commute an extra 40 miles to a new job because of a no compete clause. A former co-worker of mine was contractually obligated to pay back her former employer for training costs when she switched jobs to come work where I did. Not a one of us was making millions at the time. Those are just a few examples.
Point is, many jobs have conditions and contractual obligations. Nothing un-American is being done to poor #12. He’ll be just fine. Very fine.
He’s under contract nimrod. He doesn’t like it he shouldn’t have signed it. We don’t need to be feeling sorry for professional athletes. Military personnel also sign a contract and get sent to all kinds of shitty places like Detroit. If AR doesn’t want to play in Green Bay than hold out or retire. With two bad collar bones I would have seriously considered trading him to Oakland for Mack and their first round picks for the next 2-3 years (because I believe Gruden would do it). Personally, I thought AR was done with GB after the fans didn’t join him in his stupid “cant we all get along” protest last season. But, as a true packer fan I hope he makes me look like a nimrod.