INDIANAPOLIS – With just more than two weeks remaining before the start of the 2022 NFL year and the opening of the free agent market, the Green Bay Packers again find themselves waiting.
One of the NFL’s most storied franchises again finds itself at the mercy of one of the game’s most legendary and talented quarterbacks. Will Aaron Rodgers stay and give them yet another shot at a Super Bowl run or force his way to another destination – or walk away from the league altogether – and kick off a season of rebuilding? 
That’s the question hanging over the Packers for a second consecutive offseason. But unlike the spring and summer of 2021, it appears the franchise will be spared the extended agony and crippling uncertainty that persisted until the quarterback eventually ended his standoff with his bosses and returned to work. 
By Rodgers’ own acknowledgement, this offseason’s decision will not drag out in torturous fashion. He plans to make this call in a matter of days or weeks. And at this point, the tea leaves seemingly are swirling in a manner that suggests a favorable outcome for the Packers and their faithful. 
As he addressed the media during the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday, Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged the uncertainty. But he predicted the quarterback’s decision – which would then trigger either measures of roster reinforcement or rebuilding – will come before the March 16 start of the new league year. But as he did, Gutekunst spoke both with patience and respect for Rodgers’ decision-making process. At times, his words even included an air of optimism.
Meanwhile, multiple people with ties to the organization conveyed to USA TODAY Sports a sense of confidence that Rodgers will indeed return for an 18th season in Green Bay. The people spoke on condition of anonymity due to the fluidity of the situation. 
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What a healthier place the Packers find themselves in after weathering the storm of last year. 
During that time, Green Bay endured nearly five months of uneasiness as rumors leaked of the franchise quarterback’s distrust of and displeasure with the franchise, most notably Gutekunst and team president Mark Murphy. During limited media comments, Rodgers vocalized the faults he found in the philosophies of the leadership team, which he classified as a lack of respect and appreciation for the people who had combined to make the franchise great.
Rodgers wanted a trade, per multiple repots, but Packers brass rebuffed those advances and waited for the star to come to a place of reconciliation. 
Eventually, the quarterback and team embarked on yet another dominant regular-season run. By season’s end – even despite a heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs – Rodgers was expressing warm feelings towards every key member of the franchise. During the acceptance speech of his second consecutive MVP honor last month, Murphy, Gutekunst and executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball – the very men of whom he had spoken most critically – were the first three individuals Rodgers thanked.
Now, as the Packers wait on Rodgers, the situation certainly remains layered but no longer dysfunctional. The quarterback remains under contract, although there likely are financial matters to resolve if he does opt to return. He doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuild, he has said, so there are key teammates that he wants to see taken care of (top wide receiver Davante Adams chief among them) to ensure Green Bay can make another push for a Super Bowl. 
The Packers certainly want this. Gutekunst said leadership has planned for every possible scenario, and by all indications, keeping the band together tops everyone in authority’s wish list. 
During his summer of dissatisfaction, Rodgers sought a front office that valued him, a coaching staff that supported him and a roster with weapons at his disposal. But it turns out he never really needed to be traded. He simply needed to be placated, and Packers brass managed to do just that. 
By year’s end, Rodgers seemed to realize in Green Bay, he had all he ever wanted.
He repeatedly professes his love and appreciation for coach Matt LaFleur, largely crediting him for his back-to-back MVP seasons. He knows how fortunate he is to have a young, creative coach who boasts the vision and innovative tools to ease pressure on the quarterback while also affording him great freedoms within the framework of the offense. 
Rodgers also knows that the roster he would return to (if kept intact and even upgraded) ranks among the best in the NFL. For three straight years, the group has posted 13-win seasons
Where else can he find a dominant weapon like Adams, two imposing running backs, an offensive line so versatile that it frequently kept him clean despite enduring rampant injuries and the backing of a play-making defense?
Green Bay is every bit as good a team as the defending champion Los Angeles Rams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers no longer figure to pose a threat after Tom Brady’s retirement. The 49ers faces uncertainty because of their own quarterback situation. And so, the path to the Super Bowl again presents itself to Rodgers if he simply returns.
The Packers continue to wait for Rodgers’ decision, but there’s an air of optimism. Cooler heads prevailed and paved the way for another iconic Rodgers season in 2021. And having navigated troubled waters together during that time, the stage seemingly is set for an anticlimactic yet warmly welcomed outcome for both quarterback and team months after they managed to avoid an ugly divorce.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.

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