Aaron Rodgers

Packers Hoping For Aaron Rodgers Return

October 20th, 2017 at 7:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers are “holding out hope” that quarterback Aaron Rodgers can return to the field later this season, reports Rob Demovsyk of ESPN.com. Green Bay officially placed Rodgers on injured reserve earlier today, and because the NFL’s rule require an eight-week minimum absence, Rodgers wouldn’t be eligible to return until Week 15.

Rodgers underwent surgery for a broken collarbone on Thursday, and is now facing a lengthy recovery process. As such, Demovsky admits the Packers’ hope for a Rodgers return is a “long shot,” but it’s not impossible. Green Bay, which currently sits in second place in the NFC North with a 4-2 record, now owns just a 28% chance of earning a postseason berth, down 41% from last week, per Football Outsiders. But if the Packers are able to remain in contention, Rodgers could conceivably guide the club through the regular season’s final two weeks and into the playoffs.

Green Bay will roll with former fifth-round pick Brett Hundley as its starter for the foreseeable future, while former practice squad signal-caller Joe Callahan will be Hundley’s backup. Head coach Mike McCarthy recently indicated the Packers have no intention of adding a veteran quarterback to the mix, but the club did sign undrafted rookie Jerod Evans to its practice squad earlier this week.

Packers Place Aaron Rodgers On IR

October 20th, 2017 at 3:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers announced they’ve placed Aaron Rodgers on IR. The franchise quarterback is shelved until at least mid-December, although considering the collarbone surgery he had this week, he’s a good bet to miss the remainder of the season.

From an NFL procedure perspective, Rodgers is out at least eight weeks. The Packers are going with Brett Hundley as their starter, and they promoted Joe Callahan from the practice squad.

Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone against the Vikings. While the 33-year-old passer returned from this injury in 2013 in time for a Week 17 do-or-die game, one the Packers won to book a playoff berth. But that malady did not require surgery. This one did, making Rodgers’ chances of returning later this season in a special circumstance remote.

The Packers have not fared especially well in Rodgers’ absence, understandably, and Hundley came into the Vikings game with 11 career passes. In two games this season, he’s completed only 55.9-percent of his passes for 157 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. This is predictably worse than Rodgers, who had completed 66.3-percent of his passes for 1,385 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions before suffering the injury.

Earlier this week, coach Mike McCarthy indicated that the organization wouldn’t pursue a quarterback until they received clarity on Rodgers’ surgery. With the veteran on the IR for the next two months, it’s conceivable that the team could now seek reinforcement at the position.

Extra Points: Rodgers, Bowman, Draft

October 19th, 2017 at 9:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone last weekend, and the Packers quarterback reportedly went under the knife today. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Rodgers had surgery this afternoon, which coach Mike McCarthy had confirmed earlier this week. The quarterback suffered the injured on Sunday after being tackled by Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr.

Yesterday, McCarthy said that he wasn’t going to pursue a move for a quarterback until the team received clarity following Rodgers’ surgery. The team elevated QB Joe Callahan from the practice squad earlier this week, but the organization could look to acquire a signal-caller if Rodgers is indeed done for the season.

Some more notes from around the NFC…

We have details on NaVorro Bowman‘s one-year deal with the Raiders, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link): $880K base salary, $120K signing bonus, $100K per game active bonus, $1MM in NLTBE (Not Likely To Be Earned) incentives. All in all, the deal can max out at $3MM.
Speaking of Bowman, Albert Breer of The MMQB provides some reasoning for the 49ers decision to cut the veteran. Primarily, the organization is confident that first-rounder Reuben Foster can be an every-down linebacker. While the former Alabama standout had some “off-field questions” heading into the draft, Breer notes that Foster had impressed the team with his maturity, citing the player’s “diligence” in returning from an ankle injury. “We haven’t seen any of that,” the source said of the linebacker’s reported off-field issues. “He’s a leader.”
Breer had “experienced NFL evaluators” rank the top quarterback prospects, and USC’s Sam Darnold barely edged out UCLA’s Josh Rosen for the top spot. Josh Allen (Wyoming), Luke Falk (Washington State), Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State), Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Lamar Jackson (Louisville), and Ryan Finley (N.C. State) rounded out the list.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extra Points: IR-DTR, Goodell, Hogan, Pack

October 18th, 2017 at 9:51pm CST by GregGoldstein

This week marks the first time players who were placed on the IR-Designated to Return list can start practicing again. Under league rules, players must sit out at least six weeks on the injured reserve and then practice for another two weeks in order to be placed on the active roster again. That would mean that players who just started to practice on Monday are on track to return to game action in Week 9. Teams have three weeks to decide if certain designated players will return once they get back on the practice field.

Patriots LB Shea McClellin headlines the list of IR-DTD players who started practicing this week, which comes courtesy of Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter Link). McClellin has been recovering from an undisclosed injury he suffered during training camp. It’s an encouraging development for Bill Belichick as the Pats are heavily in need of capable pass rushers. The three other players who returned to practice were Chargers LB Denzel Perryman, Ravens CB Maurice Canady and Falcons LB LaRoy Reynolds.

In other league news, Roger Goodell‘s new contract, which was reportedly hung up over his prospective severance package, is now back on track to being completed sooner than later, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rapoport relays a quote from Falcons owner Arthur Blank that states: “Making good progress. Shouldn’t be too long.” We don’t know exactly why the talks are in a better place, but with this news, it seems that the major hurdles are now in the rearview mirror.
The Browns named DeShone Kizer their starter once again today, but the other surprise announcement was that former starter Kevin Hogan had slipped behind Cody Kessler on the depth chart. Despite a poor game in his first start of the year, the move was rather unexpected, but new information sheds more light on the situation. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that Hogan is now the third QB because of bruised ribs he suffered last week. Head coach Hue Jackson addressed the injury in a media session today. “They’re pretty bruised in my opinion. … I’m not going to put (an injured) guy out there or let him go through the week,” Jackson said. Jackson went onto say that Hogan would be the backup if healthy, so it looks like this development is more of a non-story at this point.
In other QB news, Mike McCarthy expressed some caution about an upcoming roster move regarding the injured Aaron Rodgers, reports Ryan Wood and Michael Cohen of Packers News. The Packers head coach told a number of reporters today: “Our focus clearly is just to get through the surgery, and just see where he is. I’m not personally looking in that direction. My focus is on Aaron’s health right now.” The team already elevated QB Joe Callahan from the practice squad this week, so it looks like there won’t be any further changes in regards to the Packers’ signal-callers until Rodgers’ surgery take place.

Aaron Rodgers To Have Surgery

October 16th, 2017 at 4:00pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s not official yet, but it sure sounds like Aaron Rodgers‘ season is over. Packers coach Mike McCarthy tells reporters that the quarterback needs surgery to fix his broken collarbone (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The operation almost definitely will rule him out for the rest of the year.

Rodgers suffered the fracture when he was tackled hard by Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr on Sunday. Rodgers is arguably the best quarterback in the league and it’s fair to wonder if Green Bay can survive without him. Through six weeks of action, Rodgers was among the league’s top-10 in both completion percentage and quarterback rating, and tossed 13 touchdowns against versus just three picks.

Rodgers broke his left collarbone during the 2013 campaign and missed only seven games, but this time around he’ll need surgery since it’s on his throwing side.

The Packers are tied with the Vikings for the best record in the NFC North, but they currently own the tiebreaker.

Aaron Rodgers Has Broken Collarbone

October 15th, 2017 at 1:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Packers Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone in today’s contest against the Vikings and could potentially miss the rest of the season, the club announced. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link) first reported that Rodgers had likely broken his collarbone.

It’s difficult to overstate the potential loss of Rodgers, who was slammed down by Minnesota linebacker Anthony Barr on the offending play. Arguably the best quarterback in the league, Rodgers seemingly single-handedly leads Green Bay to victories, as evidenced by his comeback efforts against the Cowboys in Week 5. This year, Rodgers is among the NFL’s top-10 in both completion percentage and quarterback rating, and has tossed 13 touchdowns against only three interceptions.

While there’s no immediate timeline as to Rodgers’ recovery period, he’s dealt with this injury before. Rodgers broke his left collarbone during the 2013 campaign and missed seven games, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk tweets. In that case, however, Rodgers broke his left collarbone, while this latest injury is to his throwing shoulder, which could further impede a return.

With Rodgers sidelined, the Packers have turned to backup Brett Hundley, whom Green Bay selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft. Although he had attempted only 11 NFL passes before today, Hundley had drawn trade interest in the past, and general manager Ted Thompson almost shipped him away this offseason. Hundley has completed four of eight passes the Vikings today for one touchdown and one interception.

Green Bay only has two quarterbacks on its current roster, so the club will be forced to add another signal-caller in the coming days. Former undrafted free agent Joe Callahan resides on the Packers’ practice squad and could be promoted, while Green Bay could also target a veteran free agent. Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III, Matt Barkley, and Matt McGloin are among the options on the open market.

Heading into today’s game, the Packers had posted an NFC North leading 4-1 record and had a 69.6% chance of earning a postseason berth, per Football Outsiders. Without Rodgers, those odds certainly figure to decrease, and Green Bay faces the 15th-most difficult schedule going forward, according to FO. Over the next several weeks, the Packers will face the Saints, Lions, Bears, Ravens, and Steelers, with a bye mixed in during Week 8.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Eli, Rodgers, Lions

August 16th, 2017 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Cornerback Tramaine Brock drew interest from his former team, the 49ers, before the Seahawks signed him on Wednesday, according to his agent, Ron Slavin. “The 49ers denied it, but they called me the minute [his case] got dismissed and wanted him back,” Slavin told Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Brock spent the first seven years of his career with the 49ers, who released him April 7 on the heels of an arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence. Charges were dropped last week, though, leading a slew of teams to inquire about Brock before he chose Seattle. The 49ers announced that they were not among those clubs, but Slavin says otherwise. Brock will face his ex-team twice this year.

Here’s more from the NFC:

Giants quarterback Eli Manning, 36, told Ian O’Connor of ESPN.com on Wednesday that he’s optimistic about playing into his 40s. “Yeah, I think sitting here right now, I think I can play another four years,” said Manning, who’s under contract for three more seasons. Manning has been the picture of durability throughout his career, having played 16 games in every season other than 2004 – his rookie year, which he began as a backup. He’s similar in that regard to two-time Super Bowl opponent Tom Brady, whose ability to stay on the field for the vast majority of his career has helped him hang around into his 40s. Of course, durability was also key for Eli Manning’s brother, Peyton Manning, who managed to play until the age of 39.
Staying on the subject of Hall of Fame-bound signal-callers, Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com opines that Green Bay must sign Aaron Rodgers to a new deal within the next year. While Rodgers is already under contract through 2019, awarding him a new pact would kill the possibility of the franchise tag coming into play, which Dougherty argues is rather important. Tagging Rodgers after 2019 would cost the Packers around $25MM, and that number would increase substantially if they were to franchise him again the next year. And if Rodgers doesn’t have an extension soon, the 33-year-old could decide he’d be better off playing under the tag for as long as possible and raking in all the guaranteed cash that comes with it, contends Dougherty.
With the Lions having lost Kerry Hyder and Brandon Copeland to season-ending injuries in recent days, they’re likely to look outside the organization for help along the defensive line, writes Nate Atkins of MLive.com. The Lions don’t possess a ton of cap space (around $7MM), but they have enough to pick someone up, contends Atkins, who lists Jared Odrick, Dwight Freeney, Paul Kruger, Trent Cole and Sen’Derrick Marks as logical targets in free agency. On the trade market, Atkins wonders if the Lions could pursue the Jets’ Sheldon Richardson, whom they’ve been shopping since last year. However, at upward of $8MM, Richardson has a high cap number, and he put the kibosh on potential trades with multiple teams earlier this year when he refused to take a pay cut.

NFC Notes: Rodgers, Panthers, Elliott, Cards

July 18th, 2017 at 1:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Packers have not discussed a contract extension for Aaron Rodgers with his agent, David Dunn, the quarterback told a Milwaukee TV station last week (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). Given that Rodgers still has three years left on the deal he signed in 2013, the Packers don’t have to work anything out imminently. However, on the possibility of Rodgers becoming the NFL’s highest-paid player again in the near future, team president Mark Murphy admitted to Demovsky, “You need to plan for it.” Unsurprisingly, Murphy added that the franchise regards re-upping the two-time league MVP as a priority. Rodgers topped all NFLers when he signed his five-year, $110MM deal four years ago, but salaries around him have increased significantly. As a result, the 33-year-old is set to rake in just the sixth-highest amount at his own position this season ($22MM).

NFC North Notes: Packers, Rodgers, Lions

June 25th, 2017 at 5:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has signed with CAA Sports to represent him in off-the-field work, Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal tweets. That in and of itself is not necessarily headline news, but CAA represents some of the league’s highest-paid players and one can’t help but wonder if Rodgers may mull an agency change for his on-the-field work as he eyes a new deal.

On the other hand, as PFT points out, Rodgers was very complimentary of agent David Dunn recently.

“Well, that stuff usually takes care of itself, and I have a fantastic agent, he does a great job. He worries about that stuff,” Rodgers said (via ESPN.com). “When it comes to setting the market values, I let that stuff take care of itself. I know my value in this league, and I know the team appreciates me. I’m going to continue to make myself an indispensable part of this roster. When you do that, when your time comes up to get a contract, you usually get a contract extension.”

Rodgers is under contract with Green Bay through 2019 thanks to the $110MM contract extension he inked in 2013. At the time, the deal gave him the richest contract in the league. Since then, however, he has slipped to No. 6 amongst QBs based on annual average value.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press wonders how invested the Lions truly are in tackles Greg Robinson and Cyrus Kouandjio. The Lions added both veterans after learning that Taylor Decker would be missing significant time this season. Birkett indicates that the Lions are somewhat locked in with Robinson since the final year of his rookie contract is fully guaranteed for $3.322MM and has no offset language. On the other hand, the team isn’t nearly as tethered to Kouandjio. The former Bill got a $35K signing bonus from Detroit, but the rest of his deal is pretty lean. He’s due for a $690K base salary plus a $75K roster bonus.
Lions coach Jim Caldwell says that he hasn’t lost any faith in running back Dwayne Washington, despite some struggles in 2016. “Nobody really knows how good he can be, but he has talent,” Caldwell said (via Birkett). “He has ability. We like what we see in that particular area and he’s developing.” Washington likely profiles as Detroit’s No. 4 running back, behind Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Zach Zenner. Free agent addition Matt Asiata is also in the mix, but Caldwell’s words could be a sign that the former seventh-round pick is not in danger of losing his roster spot.
Meanwhile, Bears running back Ka’Deem Carey may be in danger of missing the cut.
On Saturday, the Vikings offered support for wide receiver Michael Floyd.

NFC Notes: OBJ, Rodgers, E. Decker, Lions

June 7th, 2017 at 7:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday morning that Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been away from OTAs because he wants a new contract. That isn’t the case, according to The Record’s Art Stapleton, as a source told him that Beckham’s absence amounts to nothing more than a player exercising his right to skip voluntary workouts. Regardless of where the truth lies, the Giants are motivated to keep the 24-year-old superstar for the long haul. Contract negotiations haven’t begun yet, co-owner John Mara revealed Tuesday, but he added, “Obviously we want him to be a Giant for the rest of his career.”