Aaron Rodgers doesn’t seem to think too much about second-year wide receiver Amari Rodgers and his outlook for the Green Bay Packers’ offense.
Rodgers was forced to lean on a number of his young receiver in Week 1’s season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings without veteran Allen Lazard in the lineup, including rookie Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs along with Juwann Winfree. But one name that was noticeably absent from the lineup was Amari Rodgers, who did not play a single offensive snap despite being the Packers’ primary punt and kick returner.
Now, part of the problem is Rodgers plays primarily in the slot where veteran Randall Cobb gets the majority of his reps, but he is a young receiver they traded up to get in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft who showed improvements in the preseason. He is also someone the Packers indicated could get some reps out of the backfield as a jet sweep motion piece that they were mostly missing last season.
When asked about Rodgers’ fit with the Packers offense, though, Rodgers had a bleak response for reporters:
“Yeah, he’s (kick) returning for us now,” Rodgers said flatly, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “That’s all I’ve got on that.”
The video of Rodgers’ response makes it sound even worse for Amari Rodgers:
Does Amari Rodgers Have Trust of Packers Coaches?
Rodgers was thrust into a tough situation as a rookie that he didn’t always handle the best. After the Packers moved up to get him in 2021 NFL draft with intentions of making him their new slot receiver, he was pushed to back burner at the start of his first training camp when the team traded to reacquire veteran Randall Cobb — at their MVP’s request — and re-inserted him into their starting lineup.
From that point on, Rodgers was mostly relegated to a role as the Packers’ primary punt returner. He eventually took over on kickoffs, too, after fellow rookie Kylin Hill suffered a season-ending injury, but he never really got the hang of either role. He averaged 8.3 yards per punt return and 18.1 yards per kickoff return and muffed the ball numerous times throughout the season, all while only getting eight targets in the passing game.
Since then, Rodgers has been trying to scrub the disappointment off his reputation. He cut 16 pounds in the offseason and looked stronger and faster when he showed up to training camp, but he is also in mostly the same situation as he was in 2021 with Cobb ahead of him on the depth chart. The real question is how much the coaches trust him.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst indicated the “emergence” of Rodgers as a rushing weapon had partly influenced their decision to keep just two running backs on their active roster, but none of that was showcased in the opener against the Vikings. In fact, the Packers called upon Watson and Doubs the two times they handed the ball off to their motioning receivers for a run, getting reasonable success out of both of them. That doesn’t inspire much confidence for Rodgers’ role moving forward.
Rodgers Must Distinguish Himself as Return Weapon
Rodgers has a certain amount of built-in goodwill with the Packers as someone they traded two draft picks to acquire about a year and a half ago, but he will need to start doing something to distinguish himself if he wants to see the end of his rookie contract with the Packers. And with the path to playing time at receiver currently obstructed, there is no better way for him to make an impression than as a dynamic return man.
Rodgers didn’t have a ton of great opportunities for returns against the Vikings. He questionably fielded one kickoff at the 4-yard line and only got back to the 18, but the bigger issue arose from his hesitance on punt returns. Of the Vikings’ five punts, Rodgers called fair caught for four of them and definitely seemed to have room to work on at least one of them. He also looked like he was playing scared.
Why did Amari Rodgers fair catch it?
The sky isn’t falling on Rodgers just yet. He will almost certainly get the chance to redeem himself as a returner for Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears and might even have a crack at some touches out of the backfield, assuming the Packers establish a steadier running game than they had in the first week of the season. If he loses his job as a returner, though, his days could be numbered with the team.
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Aaron Rodgers Sends Bleak Message on WR Amari Rodgers