Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers stands with Jordan Love #10 during training camp at Ray Nitschke Field on August 17, 2020 in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur got a good laugh out of all the headlines this offseason that insinuated Aaron Rodgers would struggle to deal with first-round rookie Jordan Love, his possible replacement, being in the building during the 2020 season.
The speculative drama wasn’t unlike the storylines certain members of the media had run with last year about whether the dynamic between LaFleur and Rodgers would work in Green Bay. (The pairing, as it turned out, worked so well that the Packers won more than twice as many games as they had in 2018, including their home playoff win).
But even LaFleur was surprised by how well Rodgers took to the task of mentoring Love during their first summer together as Packers quarterbacks.
“It’s always funny to hear the headlines in the offseason when there’s nothing to talk about,” LaFleur said Friday during his appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, “but I’ll tell you what, Aaron’s been — he’s been an unbelievable mentor. That’s something that you never expect a veteran player or any player to do, but he’s really broken down the position well for Jordan, and I think Jordan’s in a perfect situation in terms of sitting back, listening, soaking it all in and learning from a Hall of Fame quarterback. I couldn’t be more pleased with the synergy in that quarterback room.”
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Rodgers Concentrated on Packers Legacy
Rather than return to the Packers as the grumpy, disrespected mess that some critics projected him to be, Rodgers arrived for training camp in high spirits with primary backup Tim Boyle remarking how “this is probably the best mood I’ve seen him in training camp.”
“Not that he’s been in bad moods,” Boyle added, “but he’s spunky, he’s throwing jokes around. I think part of it is the comfort level of the offense.”
As Rodgers explained it it, an NFL offseason restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic afforded him the unique opportunity for self-improvement, taking advantage of the “strange months” to find his center and make some important decisions in his life. The result was a lighter, happier Rodgers who was not only interested in improving his on-field legacy for the Packers but also determined to be remembered as an all-time great by his coaches and teammates, including Love.
“Part of your legacy is how you treat your teammates,” Rodgers recently told Bleacher Report. “I want Jordan to have as great of memories as possible of me being in the QB room and having some great laughs and competing. I want kinship, not animosity. That’s what I’ve always tried to do with all my backups.”
Old Clip Helps Rodgers Alter Game
Rodgers hasn’t just seemed fun and team-focused — he’s looked dangerous. There is a sharpness evident in his game that Rodgers credits to something he recognized in himself while watching a clip from the Packers’ 2010 championship season.
“It’s interesting, we were watching some old film of some of the cutups. As we do the installs, we’ll put some film alongside it. And I just noticed something from a clip from 2010 actually. It kind of hit me,” Rodgers said during camp. “And I know it was 10 years ago, but the next day I went out to practice and starting working on what I saw on the film, and the last couple of days kind of happened.”
The Packers will be hard-pressed to improve upon last season’s 13-3 regular-season record, but a sharper Rodgers certainly won’t hurt their efforts, which begin Sept. 13 when the Packers travel to take on the Minnesota Vikings in their season opener.
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