Matt LaFleur Unsure If Aaron Rodgers Will Attend Packers Minicamp: 'We'll See'
June 2, 2021
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Wednesday's he's unsure whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers will report for the team's mandatory minicamp starting June 8.
"I've got nothing to update on that situation," he said. "I don't know. We'll see come Tuesday."
If Rodgers misses the full three-day minicamp, he'd be facing a $93,000 fine. It's hard to imagine that will sway him much—he had a $500,000 workout bonus he gave up when he skipped the team's voluntary workouts and organized team activities.
The ongoing showdown between Rodgers and the Packers has been the storyline of the NFL offseason. Rodgers reportedly wants to be traded; the Packers want to keep him. Rodgers' skipping voluntary workouts wasn't a surprise, but if he's a no-show for mandatory minicamps or training camp, the stakes will raise considerably.
Rodgers told Kenny Mayne on SportsCenter in late May that his discontent has never been about the Packers using a first-round pick to select Jordan Love last year, but other factors around the organization (h/t NFL.com):
"It's just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It's about character, it's about culture, it's about doing things the right way. A lot of this was put in motion last year and the wrench was kind of thrown into it when I won MVP and played the way I played last year. So this is just kind of, I think, a spill-out of all that. But look, man, it is about the people and that's the most important thing."
It's unclear exactly what philosophy Rodgers isn't happy with in Green Bay—or if it's simply about a longer-term financial commitment from the team—though Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported in early May that the defending MVP wanted more input into personnel decisions:
More than likely, it's a combination of a number of factors contributing to Rodgers' ire. Up until now, it's largely been a situation that has orbited around the team as a media talking point. But if Rodgers begins skipping mandatory minicamps, well, things are going to get very real, and very fast, in Green Bay.