Getty Special teams coordinator Maurice Drayton of the Green Bay Packers looks at his clipboard during the game against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at TIAA Bank Field on September 12, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida.
The thought to bench rookie Amari Rodgers had crossed head coach Matt LaFleur’s mind late in the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
LaFleur had just watched the Packers’ 2021 third-round pick make his second notable special-teams mistake on the night as a returner, muffing a punt on his first opportunity of the second half that forced their offense to start at their own 12-yard line. Rodgers had also been partly responsible for a terrible sequence in the second quarter in which a punt bounced off Malik Taylor’s foot and the Chiefs recovered at the Green Bay’s 10, failing to make a decision on a fair catch for a ball that was out of his reach.
“If you can’t field the ball, you have to call everybody off because that cost us three points,” LaFleur said in the postgame. “You’ve got to make sure. If you fair catch a ball, you catch it. If you can’t get to it, you have to call everybody off and let them know. And I think that’s a situation where Amari thought he could get to it and wasn’t able to.”
That’s 100 percent on Amari Rodgers.
Initially, LaFleur wanted to bench Rodgers on punt returns following his second costly blunder and even approached his special teams coordinator, Maurice Drayton, on the sideline about making a change in the third quarter. The thing was, “Mo said no.”
“That was my initial reaction,” LaFleur said of replacing Rodgers after his muffed punt. “I went right over to Mo and, credit to Mo, Mo said no. He said we need to stick with this guy. I know Mo will do what I ultimately tell him to do in that regard, but that’s a credit to him for sticking up for Amari and it’s a credit to Amari for going out and doing his job.”
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Rodgers Steadied After Muffed Punt
There was probably a collective sigh of relief from Packer Nation when Rodgers signaled for a fair catch and safely secured the ball the next time the Chiefs punted, but the former Clemson standout didn’t lie down and accept defeat for the Packers. He got one more shot in the fourth quarter when he fielded the Chiefs’ final punt and returned it 15 yards upfield to start the Packers at their own 46-yard line, a play that helped set up their lone touchdown drive of the night and helped them avoid a shutout.
“For him to go back out there and show that resiliency to catch a punt and return it 15 yards, I think that speaks a lot to who he is as a man, as a football player,” LaFleur said of Rodgers. “Because that’s not easy to do. Everybody can see, especially when in that phase of the game when there’re mistakes made, everybody can see it. But for him to get back out there and approach it with the mindset of ‘Hey, we’re going to play the next play.’ I thought that says a lot about Amari.”
Rodgers has certainly experienced his fair share of teachable rookie moments over the past few weeks. He also fumbled once on a punt return against Arizona in Week 8, having the ball knocked loose about five yards into his return before Packers linebacker Oren Burks jumped on it to prevent a turnover. The Packers ended up starting that drive at their own 21-yard line and went three-and-out; though, they targetted Rodgers twice with him securing one reception for seven yards.
.@BangTimeBurks recovers the fumble and bails out Amari Rodgers. t.co/uXI3MwE6XJ
Will Rodgers Become Factor as WR in 2021?
Evaluating Rodgers at this point in his Packers career is a little difficult to do. While his return game has been mostly hit or miss, he has also caught just three passes for 40 yards in the first nine games and been scarcely featured in their receiving plan. By comparison, there are 10 other Packers who have more receptions than him this season, including both of their top running backs, three of their four tight ends and Juwann Winfree — who got all of his production in one game after being elevated from the practice squad.
At the same time, it would seem unwise to discredit Rodgers’ potential for the future. Don’t forget, the Packers traded away their fourth-round pick to move up for him in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. Rodgers and veteran Randall Cobb — who has been acting as his mentor — are also the only two receivers currently under contract for next year with the Packers, presenting him with a good chance to take the next step.
Even if Rodgers doesn’t see an uptick in his participation as the 2021 season goes on, the Packers have invested a good amount into the young receiver and like what he can potentially bring to their team as both a pass-catcher and punt returner. Maybe it will take a year of blunders and close calls for him to figure things out, but it’s important to remember that Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling also faced significant struggles early in their careers. The Packers didn’t give up on them, and they certainly don’t seem to be close to giving up on Rodgers.