Aaron Rodgers' Back Injury Doesn't Concern Packers HC Matt LaFleur

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was held out of Thursday night's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens due to back tightness, but head coach Matt LaFleur doesn't believe the injury will be an issue moving forward.

"No long-term concerns, he was a little tight yesterday," LaFleur said after a 26-13 loss to Baltimore, per NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "It was just all precautionary. You don't want to put him at risk putting him out there if he's not 100 percent."

The two-time NFL MVP has yet to take the field this preseason, sitting out each of his team's first two exhibitions. The initial plan had Rodgers slated to play "a quarter or so" on Thursday night, but he wound up being scratched.

Injuries have been an issue for Rodgers in recent years. He was limited to seven games in 2017 due to a broken collarbone. Though he did not miss any games as a result, he suffered a tibial plateau fracture and a sprained MCL in last year's season opener.

Rodgers has appeared in at least 15 regular-season games in nine of his 11 years as a starting quarterback and has played in every game in four of the past five seasons.

At this point in his career, the 35-year-old Rodgers knows what it will take to make sure he is ready for the regular season, whether he plays in the preseason or not.

Having Rodgers on the field could help the offense find a rhythm as it adjusts to LaFleur's system, but ultimately, the Packers don't want to put the face of the franchise at risk.

"I think we'd like to see him, but you're talking about a veteran quarterback that's played a lot of football," LaFleur said, via PackersNews.com. "I don't think it's a necessity, but it's certainly something that we'd like to see."

Green Bay has to not only worry about 2019, but the future as well. Rodgers is under contract through 2023 after signing a four-year, $134 million extension in August 2018.