Packers' Matt LaFleur Has 'Love and Appreciation' for Aaron Rodgers amid Trade Rumors

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur doesn't hold any ill will toward Aaron Rodgers with the star quarterback angling for an exit this offseason.

"I've got nothing but love and appreciation for what Aaron Rodgers has done for the organization," he told reporters Tuesday. "He's done so much for myself, my family. I'm just gonna leave it at that."

Over time, Rodgers' relationship with Mike McCarthy broke down to the point where one of the two had to go. McCarthy was jettisoned midway through the 2018 season following a 4-7-1 start.

In the case of LaFleur, he and Rodgers don't appear to have experienced the same kind of discord. Their dynamic has been a frequent topic of speculation, though, ever since the Packers selected Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

The Athletic's Bob McGinn wrote in April 2020 how his "sense is LaFleur, fresh from a terrific 13-3 baptismal season, simply had enough of Rodgers' act and wanted to change the narrative" by taking Love.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN wrote how LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst might have wanted to lessen Rodgers' influence within the organization as well, with the coach preferring to strike a better offensive balance.

Fans know what transpired from there. Rodgers won back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021 as Green Bay remained a Super Bowl contender.

But now the two sides have reached the point many expected them to arrive at a year or two ago, and that has led to renewed discussion on the relationship between LaFleur and his soon-to-be former starting QB.

CBS Sports Radio's Zach Gelb said Monday details could begin to spill out and cited one example. Rodgers only sporadically attended meetings he had scheduled with LaFleur, which were intended to allow him to provide his input on the offensive game plan.

For the most part, the slow-burning divorce between Rodgers and the Packers hasn't turned that ugly. You get the sense everybody wants to move on, but neither side is going full scorched-earth. It isn't as bad yet as when Brett Favre left in 2008.

Maybe that changes once Rodgers' trade to the New York Jets is completed or if the saga drags on into the summer.