Tuesday June 8th marked the official start to the Packers 2021 season. Mandatory mini-camp has started and all of the players who missed OTAs were back in Green Bay, all but one. That player being NFL MVP, Aaron Rodgers, who’s absence confirms the unfortunate truth that he is officially holding out of team activities.
The news of Rodgers skipping out on mini-camp should not come as a surprise to anyone who has been following along, with everything going on this offseason it has been pretty clear that he would not be returning to the team for any of the offseason workouts. But still many held out hope, pointing to the potential 93-thousand dollar fine for missing mini-camp as an incentive for Rodgers to show face. On Tuesday, that hope was officially crushed, and the quarterbacks future with the organization became more uncertain than ever before.
Former Packers wide receiver and close friend of Rodgers, James Jones, made an appearance on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd after the news of the QB’s holdout became official. Jones has remained confident all offseason that the situation going on between Rodgers and the Packers organization is a fixable one. When asked about the situation again on Tuesday, Jones restated his positive outlook once again.
“I’ve talked to Aaron, I talk to him all the time, and he’s told me that it is not about the GM, it’s not about new money” Jones told Cowherd. “Thats why I truly believe that it’s fixable, because what he has told me and the conversations we have had, and me knowing Aaron Rodgers and being close to Aaron I truly believe that it is fixable. You sit down, you go over the things and talk about what you need to get ironed out […] He is willing to go in there and make sure they can get this thing right and go out there and put the best football team on the field and try to compete for a championship. Thats why I truly believe that he will be there for training camp, this will get fixed, and I think the relationship will get much better between him and the GM.”
Jones’ words on “The Herd” were optimistic to say the least. To have this situation resolved with Rodgers at training camp with a restored relationship with the Packers management would be nothing short of amazing. It would be the outcome everyone wants (from fans to teammates and of course the coaching staff) who have been tasked with preparing this football team to win games despite not knowing if the three-time MVP will be under center.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur has been unable to escape questions surrounding the situation that is unfolding and his answers have been consistently short and to the point. He obviously wants Aaron back with the team, that much is for sure, but he also seems to be doing everything he can to prepare for whatever the outcome is.
All-Pro wide receiver, Davante Adams, was back in town for mini-camp on Tuesday after skipping out on OTAs. When speaking to the media after practice, Adams touched on the job Coach Lafleur has been doing amidst all of the drama surrounding the organization and their star quarterback.
“I think he has handled it well, He’s not really dwelling on it, he’s kinda made mention to it just to address the elephant in the room and just let everybody know, control what you can control,” Adams said.
“It is kind of the same mentality I have had the whole time. [He’s] just echoing that to everybody so it’s not weird that we’re not talking [about it]. We are obviously missing a person right now in mini-camp that’s essential to this football team, so you kind of have to say something about it, just acknowledge it and keep it moving. Now we are just trying to progress everybody else. Make sure the young guys, young wide outs, young quarterbacks, all these guys continue to make strides so we can be the football team we need to be. And uhh, be prepared for the worst, but just pray for the best”.
Ultimately, this situation is just as up in the air now as it was on draft night. No one truly has any idea how it is all going to end. Training camp begins at the end of July and will serve as the true day of reckoning for this never ending Rodgers saga. As fans, all we can do is sit back and watch as the chips fall where they may. Like Davante said, all we can do is prepare for the worst and pray for the best.
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