Last offseason
Antonio Morrison Jersey White , the Packers gave quarterback Aaron Rodgers a huge new contract, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history. The
latest revelations about Rodgers’ relationship with the higher-ups in Green Bay
raise a simple question: Why?Why did the Packers give Rodgers an enormous new
contract, when they still had him under contract for two more very affordable
seasons? If Rodgers were still playing under his old contract, he’d be heading
into the final season of that deal, and he would be highly motivated to have his
best season ever before hitting free agency.Instead, Rodgers pocketed a whopping
$67 million last year. He has enough “screw you” money that he doesn’t have to
be particularly accommodating to his team.And the revelations from the new
report by Tyler Dunne of BleacherReport.com indicate that Rodgers hasn’t always
been accommodating in Green Bay. Rodgers apparently held a grudge going all the
way back to former coach Mike McCarthy being part of the 49ers’ decision making
in the 2005 NFL draft, when the 49ers chose Alex Smith first overall and Rodgers
fell to Green Bay with the 24th overall pick. And Packers CEO Mark Murphy
reportedly had to order Rodgers not to be the problem after Matt LaFleur was
hired as McCarthy’s replacement.“Don’t be the problem” ought to go without
saying for a franchise quarterback. It’s doubtful that Robert Kraft ever had to
tell Tom Brady not to be the problem in New England
Womens Marcedes Lewis Jersey , or that Jim Irsay ever had to tell Peyton Manning not to be the problem in Indianapolis. The mere fact that Murphy felt
the need to say those words speaks volumes.So why did Murphy sign a quarterback
who needed to be told not to be a problem to the biggest contract in NFL
history? If the Packers hadn’t signed Rodgers to that extension, they’d have a
great deal of leverage with him right now: They could tell him, If you’re the
problem this season, you won’t be here next season, but if you get back to your
MVP form, we’ll reward you with a lucrative contract extension.As it is, the
Packers have given Rodgers so much money that they couldn’t move on from him now
if they wanted to: Rodgers’ huge signing bonus means he would have about a $45
million dead cap hit if he were traded. It’s simply not feasible.The Packers
would be in much better shape right now if Rodgers were going into the last year
of his contract
Womens Geronimo Allison Jersey , motivated to prove any doubters wrong. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur held a press conference at the Scouting Combine
in Indianapolis on Wednesday and he spent some time talking about his offensive
philosophy.He discussed staying balanced on early downs, using multiple running
backs and what he’s looking for in offensive linemen. He also shared one of the
things he’s stressing to players who are used to life with Mike McCarthy.“One of
the messages that I’ll have for our players is, ‘Guys, in order to grow, you
have to get comfortable with the uncomfortable,’” LaFleur said, via the .
“There’s going to be some stuff that we ask you to do that’s not going to be
comfortable right off the bat. We’ve got to attack it with an open mind and try
it. I think that goes for coaches
Jaire Alexander Jersey White , players, everything.”As LaFleur said, that applies to everything. Given that we’re talking about the Packers, however, the
biggest question will be how much quarterback Aaron Rodgers adapts to the
uncomfortable after years of doing things one way. LaFleur made an interesting
analogy when talking about veteran players trying something that might not have
worked well for them in the past.“It’s just like when you go to a restaurant and
you order something and you get food poisoning,” LaFleur said. “Are you going to
order that same thing again? Probably not. We’ve just got to work it in as best
we can and try to reframe how they see it.”Embracing change figures to be a
continuing theme of the Packers season and how quickly that happens will likely
determine how successful LaFleur is in his first year as a head coach.
