Aaron Rodgers

Extra Points: Packers, Cook, OBJ

November 9th, 2021 at 10:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL has finished their investigation into the Packers handling of COVID-19 protocols. The organization has been slapped with a $300K fine “for violations of the NFL and NFL Players Association protocols,” per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter). Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wideout Allen Lazard were also fined $14,650.

Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter), the two players were fined for attending a maskless Halloween party. The Packers’ organizational fine also stemmed from the party; while the gathering wasn’t organized by the team, the NFL believes the organization should have penalized each player. Otherwise, the NFL determined that the Packers complied to all protocols, with Garafolo noting that there was “no widespread or systemic mask-wearing violations.”

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Packers organization was notified that “future violations could result in escalated discipline,” including the potential loss of draft picks.

The league looked at footage taken at the team’s facility to assure that masks were being worn and protocols were being followed. The NFL also interviewed Packers personnel as part of the process.

More notes from around the NFL:bay

A woman filed a lawsuit accusing Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook of assault, battery and false imprisonment, per Schefter. Cook’s attorney said his client was the victim in the incident, adding that the woman also tried to extort millions of dollars from the player. According to the lawsuit, the woman traveled to Minnesota to break up with Cook, and the meeting soon turned violent. Cook is accused of causing a concussion and leaving a scar on the woman’s face. Cook’s side says the woman stole Cook’s garage door opener, broke into the player’s house, and maced him upon entering. Both the Vikings and the NFL acknowledged that they were aware of the lawsuit.
New Raiders wideout DeSean Jackson will receive $1MM for the rest of the season, according to Garafolo (via Twitter). If Jackson decides to file for termination pay, he’ll end up earning more than he would have by sticking around Los Angeles. Meanwhile, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia told reporters that he’s excited to see what Jackson can bring to the squad. “I think we all have a lot of respect for his career and what he’s done, and I can remember him coming out,” Bisaccia said (h/t to Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com). “So, we are excited about getting another speed element out there to be a complement to what we are trying to do on offense, certainly with the speed that Zay [Jones] has and what Bryan [Edwards] and Hunter [Renfrow] bring to us. It will be good for us to get another speed element going on offense. We are excited about getting him to practice.”
Sam Darnold suffered a fractured scapula, and the Panthers QB will “most likely” miss several weeks, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Darnold had one of his worst outings of the season on Sunday against the Patriots, completing only 48 percent of his passes while tossing three interceptions. P.J. Walker will likely get the starting nod with Darnold out of the lineup, although the team did add Matt Barkley earlier today.
Odell Beckham Jr. cleared waivers today, and the Browns will only be on the hook for $4.25MM, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. The two sides’ decision to rework the player’s contract ultimately saved the team around $3MM. Meanwhile, Garafolo notes that Beckham is considering both one-year deals and multi-year pacts.

Latest On Packers, Aaron Rodgers

November 8th, 2021 at 7:50pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL will continue to investigate the Packers for their handling of COVID-19 protocols, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The investigation stems from Aaron Rodgers‘ positive COVID-19 test (and the subsequent revelation that he was unvaccinated). Both the organization and Rodgers are facing fines for the violations, but there aren’t expected to be any suspensions (per Mark Maske of The Washington Post on Twitter).

Per Schefter, coaches and front offices around the league are crying foul of Green Bay’s mishandling of protocols, noting that the Packers were “held to different COVID-19 protocol standards” throughout the preseason and into the regular season. Rodgers himself admitted that he did not follow the protocols regarding media availability, but he claims he’s followed all other rules.

“What’s going on in Green Bay, that’s not what teams were told by the NFL,” one executive said to Schefter. “Our players wore masks all the time. We made our guys that weren’t playing wear masks.”

The NFL will continue to look at footage taken at the team’s facility to assure that masks were being worn and protocols were being followed. The NFL is also interviewing Packers personnel as part of the process, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Further, the league is looking into a Halloween party that multiple players attended. Per Schefter, “only a certain number of players can be together outside of the team’s training facility” according to the league’s rules, and the NFL believes a violation may have been committed.

“The primary responsibility for enforcement of the COVID protocols within club facilities rests with each club,” the league said in a statement (via Rapoport). “Failure to properly enforce the protocols has resulted in discipline being assessed against individual clubs in the past. The league is aware of the current situation in Green Bay and will be reviewing the matter with the Packers.”

Latest On Aaron Rodgers, Packers

November 5th, 2021 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

In his latest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Aaron Rodgers said he experienced COVID-19 symptoms before and after his positive test. This casts further doubt about his availability for the Packers’ Week 10 game.

An unvaccinated player must be away from his team for 10 days after experiencing symptoms. Rodgers, who tested positive Wednesday, said symptoms were present Tuesday, via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and added that he did not feel well as late as Thursday. The Packers host the Seahawks next week. News of Rodgers’ positive test will thrust Jordan Love into the spotlight against the Chiefs.

Rodgers, 37, violated NFL protocols by speaking to media without a mask in-person. While the 17th-year quarterback said he followed all protocols while in the team’s facility, he admitted he did not follow the one regarding media availability. With the players having agreed to protocols before the season, Rodgers may be set for a fine for not adhering to them.

Rodgers said Aug. 26 he’d been “immunized” but added Friday that if a follow-up question came at that point, he would have indicated he did not receive a vaccine dose. Rodgers said the NFL was fully aware of his choice to go through the season unvaccinated. While the future Hall of Famer said he petitioned the league to authorize an exemption that would essentially count him as vaccinated due to the homeopathic treatment he received, no such exemption was given, according to The Athletic. Rodgers himself did not petition the league, according to the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, who notes a Packers employee made the inquiry (Twitter links).

When Rodgers appealed the NFL’s ruling, he said one of the league’s doctors communicated to him a vaccinated person could not contract COVID or spread it. The NFL countered Friday by responding (via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, on Twitter), “No doctor from the league or the joint NFL-NFLPA infectious disease consultants communicated with the player. If they had, they certainly would have never said anything like that.”

This, of course, follows a turbulent offseason in which Rodgers requested a trade and skipped Packers offseason activities. The parties agreed to a revised contract, making the three-time MVP a 2023 free agent, but his long-term status in Green Bay is murky. Rodgers’ positive COVID test does not stand to help matters for the Packers. When asked if he planned on listening to Rodgers’ interview with McAfee, Matt LaFleur said he most likely would not (via Silverstein, on Twitter).

Regardless of the plot points that led to the present circumstances, the Packers are without one of the NFL’s best players amid a push for the NFC’s only playoff bye. Based largely on Rodgers’ play, the Packers earned a bye in each of LaFleur’s two seasons. Although they did not have Love when Rodgers was last absent, the Pack went 3-7 in games their starting QB did not complete in 2017. Three other NFC teams enter Week 9 with one loss, with the Buccaneers sitting at 6-2. With Rodgers out, the 7-1 Packers are now 7.5-point underdogs against the Chiefs. His absence against the Seahawks would create another hurdle for a team already missing its top two defensive players.

Aaron Rodgers Ruled Out After Positive COVID Test

November 3rd, 2021 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

Aaron Rodgers will miss Sunday’s game against the Chiefs after testing positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). With Rodgers sidelined, Jordan Love is now set to start under center.

The Packers have been rolling ever since their brutal season opener against the Saints. They’re riding a seven-game winning streak, thanks in large part to the reigning MVP. Rodgers has completed 67.1% of his passes thus far for 1,894 yards and 17 touchdowns with only three interceptions. While the Packers are standing tall at 7-1, the Chiefs are treading water at 4-4. A Rodgers-less matchup could very well provide a boost to Patrick Mahomes & Co.

This will mark Love’s first start as a pro and his first significant NFL action. Love didn’t play as a rookie and he’s attempted just seven throws in total, completing five of them for 68 yards.

Rodgers, 38 in December, led the league in completion percentage (70.7%) and passing touchdowns (48) last year. Father Time didn’t slow him down, nor did his offseason of drama with Packers management. He will, however, miss at least one game as he goes through the league’s COVID-19 protocols.

49ers HC Confirms Team’s Past Interest In QB Aaron Rodgers

September 23rd, 2021 at 7:56pm CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers were consistently connected to Aaron Rodgers during the early parts of the quarterback’s standoff with the Packers. Today, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that his team had reached out to the Packers about a potential trade.

“I thought it’d be a quick no,” Shanahan told (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk). “Which was exactly what I thought it would be. But you hear enough stuff and I think everyone knew what was going on at that time that it didn’t seem like it [wasn’t] worth the call, but I know how we would’ve felt if it was going to happen and we didn’t call. So, you call, you get a quick answer which what was what you’re expecting and then you move on.”

We previously heard that the 49ers were on Rodgers’ wish list, and the Packers even accused the 49ers of tampering after the team reached out directly to the QB. In other words, it’s not a huge surprise that the 49ers had approached the Packers about a trade, but Shanahan’s confirmation is a nice touch.

Ultimately, the 49ers decided to go in a different direction, as they went all in on a trade for third-overall pick Trey Lance. Jimmy Garoppolo remains the starter in San Francisco, but the team will eventually hand over the reigns to the North Dakota State product.

Shanahan will get a front row seat to ‘what could have been’ this weekend, as the 49ers take on Rodgers and the Packers on Sunday evening.

NFC North Notes: Rodgers, Darrisaw, Lions

August 22nd, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers surfaced in an NFL news cycle or two this offseason, but the reigning MVP reported to Packers training camp on time. The 37-year-old quarterback did air some grievances about his situation, and he shed more light on his complicated offseason recently. As late as the weekend before camp, Rodgers evidently was quite close to retiring. A report early during his offseason quest to leave Green Bay indicated retirement was on the table. The 17th-year veteran confirmed as such.

“I mean, I felt going into the weekend before camp that I was 50/50,” Rodgers said on retirement during an appearance on the Dan LeBatard and Friends podcast (via CBS Sports). “I don’t care if people don’t believe that. That’s true. There were some things that got me to 50/50 for sure, and you know I spent a couple of days in silence and meditation and contemplation and really felt like that I should come back. There’s a lot of opportunities for growth and exciting things in Green Bay and that felt like the right thing to do.”

While Rodgers and Packers management are still not on great terms, with the sides set to huddle up after the season to determine the QB’s future, he will play a 14th season as the team’s starting QB. Here is the latest from the NFC North:

The Vikings continue to wait on first-round pick Christian Darrisaw. The rookie left tackle is on the mend from his second core muscle surgery this year, and Mike Zimmer indicated the team was surprised this operation became necessary. “They tell me one thing and it ends up being something else,” Zimmer said, via the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson (on Twitter). “It was taken care of in January. We didn’t expect this.” The eighth-year Minnesota HC did say he expected Darrisaw to be ready by Week 1, but the Virginia Tech product has not practiced fully during camp and may take time to move into the starting lineup. Veteran backup/spot starter Rashod Hill has worked as the Vikings’ top left tackle in Darrisaw’s absence.
A car accident changed the Lions‘ depth chart recently. Last week, Detroit waived cornerback Alex Brown. More details emerged on why soon after. Brown was hit with four charges for his role in the accident, according to the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers, who tweets the 24-year-old defender was allegedly intoxicated while driving on the wrong side of a highway around 2am Aug. 15. This crash left two injured, including Lions teammate Charlie Taumoepeau, per Rogers (via Twitter). A 23-year-old tight end, Taumoepeau suffered a neck injury that required hospitalization. The Lions cut Brown immediately; Taumoepeau reverted to Detroit’s injured reserve after being waived with an injury designation.
Third-year player Kabion Ento has completed a successful conversion from wide receiver to cornerback with the Packers, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Although the 6-foot-1, 187-pound defender has yet to play in a regular-season game, the Packers have been patient with the ex-Colorado wideout. They stashed Ento on their practice squad in 2019, kept him on IR in 2020 — after a foot fracture sidelined him — and retained him via reserve/futures deal. Ento only caught 20 career passes with the Buffaloes and is now vying to land one of the Packers’ backup cornerback jobs.

Details On Aaron Rodgers’ Reworked Contract

July 29th, 2021 at 7:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The recent compromise between the Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers included a decision to void the player’s contract for the 2023 season. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter) provided some new details on the terms of that agreement.

The timing of the voided contract in 2023 makes Rodgers “untaggable after 2022,” meaning he’ll hit free agency after two more seasons in Green Bay. There’s no new money in the deal, and the reworked contract will provide the organization with an extra $10MM in cap space in 2021. If the organization trades him at some point before next June, they’d be left with a whopping $26.8MM in dead money.

Further, if Rodgers makes the unexpected decision to retire after this season, the Packers will no longer have the ability to take back $11.5MM in prorated signing bonus money. This was negotiated into the reworked contract, and it makes it much easier for the quarterback to simply walk about if he desires. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, this also provides Rodgers with some leverage, as we could threaten retirement and see if the organization trades or releases him.

Finally, as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports notes (on Twitter), the reworked contract all but assures that Rodgers won’t be in Green Bay in 2022. The reporter opines that “something truly momentous” would need to happen for the quarterback to stick around beyond the 2021 campaign.

Latest On Packers, Aaron Rodgers

July 29th, 2021 at 12:31pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, Aaron Rodgers seemed to have worked out an exit strategy. However, according to Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, that’s not necessarily the case.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Gutekunst emphasized that Rodgers still has three years left on his deal. Although the two sides “may alter that,” the GM says it’s not a “one-year contract,” (Twitter link via SI.com’s Albert Breer).

That seems to contradict earlier word of the arrangement. Initially, it was believed that Rodgers’ 2023 was voided with a handshake agreement to “revisit” things next spring. Gutekunst seems willing to talk it out in 2022, but he’s also not committing to a divorce. In other words, Rodgers’ holdout is over, but the drama is here to stay.

“I felt like if you can’t commit to me past 2021 and I’m not part of your recruiting process in free agency, if I’m not a part of the future, then instead of letting me be a lame-duck quarterback, if you want to make a change and move forward, then go ahead and do it,” Rodgers said this week (via ESPN.com).

“I’m not a victim here,” he added. “I made a ton of money here, and I’ve been really fortunate to play a long time and to play here. At the same time I’m still competitive and I still feel like I can play, I proved it last year.”

Aaron Rodgers Reports To Packers

July 27th, 2021 at 9:23am CST by Zachary Links

Aaron Rodgers is in the building. Hours after reaching agreement on a revised contract, Rodgers arrived for Tuesday morning’s practice in Green Bay (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

Rodgers touched down in Wisconsin on Monday night. Now, it’s official — Rodgers’ holdout is over. The two sides reached an unexpected compromise that will include the voiding of Rodgers’ 2023 season. Next year, the two sides will revisit their situation, which should mean an extension for the reigning MVP or a parting of ways.

The new deal doesn’t come with any new money, which is consistent with what we’ve heard all along — Rodgers’ holdout was less about dollars and more about loyalty. Meanwhile, his 2021 has been restructured to give the Packers additional cap room. Some of that cash could go towards a reunion with longtime pal Randall Cobb.

So, for the time being, 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love will continue to hold the clipboard. Of course, that won’t stop the speculation as Rodgers begins his “Last Dance.”

Aaron Rodgers Wants Packers To Reacquire Randall Cobb?

July 26th, 2021 at 10:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Add another tributary to this stream of Monday Packers news. Aaron Rodgers is on the cusp of rejoining the team, and he may well want one of his former pass catchers back as well.

Rodgers wants Randall Cobb back in Green Bay, according to veteran broadcaster Trey Wingo and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (Twitter links). With the Packers willing to go to great lengths to appease the reigning MVP, the prospect of a Cobb return via trade certainly does not sound crazy.

The Texans have Cobb signed to a three-year, $27MM contract, but since-canned GM Bill O’Brien authorized that deal. And Houston acquired slot Anthony Miller from Chicago over the weekend, adding another new piece to the team’s skill-position corps. Cobb’s through-2022 contract includes a base salary of $8.25MM in 2021. Cobb will turn 31 next month, which does making him somewhat ill-fitting amid a Texans rebuild.

Green Bay, however, used a Day 2 draft pick on a wide receiver for the first time in six years in April, selecting Clemson’s Amari Rodgers in the third round. The Packers signed the 5-foot-9 target over the weekend. The ex-Trevor Lawrence weapon is expected to work in the slot as a pro, which would create an interesting overlap with Cobb’s skill set. The Packers also return Davante Adams complements Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard, with Devin Funchess attempting to return after having played one game over the past two seasons. Cobb also left Green Bay before Matt LaFleur installed his system, providing another hiccup here.

Cobb played eight seasons with the Packers, totaling 41 receiving touchdowns and more than 5,500 yards. After giving Cobb a $10MM-per-year extension in 2015, the Packers let him walk in 2019. Cobb signed with the Cowboys and outproduced the contingent the Packers hoped would fill the void, amassing 828 receiving yards in that season. While Valdes-Scantling and Lazard made bigger contributions in 2020 — a season in which an injury limited Cobb to 10 games — the Packers are clearly loading up for what may well be one last run with their franchise centerpiece. Given the news emerging Monday, it would certainly not shock to see the team part with a late-round pick to further satisfy their 17th-year quarterback.

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