Aaron Rodgers' unexcused absence provides fresh perspective on Green Bay departure
Aaron Rodgers is at his best when engaged. As during his final season in Green Bay, he doesn't seem particularly engaged with the Jets at the moment.
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With organized-team activities and mandatory minicamp now firmly in the rearview mirror, the Green Bay Packers have entered the final stretch of the offseason. Soon, the players will report for training camp and real football will formally kick off for the 2024 season.
That doesn't mean everything remains quiet in the NFL, particularly as it pertains to one former member of the Packers. Today's edition of The Leap puts the latest news from the longtime face of the franchise into perspective while highlighting a peculiar development for Green Bay's latest first-round pick.
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Aaron Rodgers' unexcused absence from mandatory minicamp provides fresh perspective on last year's trade from Packers
Jason B. Hirschhorn: Former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made headlines this past week, again for non-football reasons. The four-time MVP did not attend the New York Jets' mandatory minicamp, an unexcused absence according to his head coach.
"It's inexcused," Jets headman Robert Saleh said of Rodgers' no-show. "He had an event that was very important to him, which he communicated."
In a vacuum, Rodgers or any veteran QB missing a few days of practice in June doesn't provide an indication of his ability to run the offense come September. Plenty of players miss offseason practice opportunities without exhibiting rust once the real games arrive, and Rodgers did take part in voluntary work earlier in the calendar. Moreover, the lack of news during the late spring and summer can sometimes cast more of a spotlight on these absences than they warrant on their own.
However, as with Rodgers' final season in Green Bay, his engagement represents arguably the biggest individual determinative factor in his performance. Compare this to last offseason when Rodgers made a big show of his offseason activity in New York. He appeared to have an edge because he felt he had something to prove to his doubters. Now, that edge seems to have faded as it has become clearer that he holds more power in the Jets organization than any teammate, coach, or front-office executive.
There are valid reasons to believe Rodgers, even coming off an Achilles injury, can still perform at an elite level physically. However, it remains unclear whether he will engage enough to deliver that type of performance on a consistent basis.
All of which provides a fresh opportunity for a postmortem on the trade that sent Rodgers from Green Bay to New York. While the Packers' motivation for the move had plenty to do with soon-to-be extended quarterback Jordan Love, Rodgers' increasing unwillingness to commit himself to football during the offseason beyond a select few performative moments had a material impact on the team's play. Rodgers has earned the right to handle the offseason as he chooses, but that doesn't negate the negative effects.
Back in Green Bay, Love has participated in each phase of the offseason program even though negotiations with the team have yet to yield a long-term extension. That doesn't automatically mean the Packers offense will perform better as a result, but it doesn't require much sleuthing to uncover the value. The unit remains extremely young, perhaps the youngest in the NFL for the second consecutive season. Love's presence not only provides more chances for the offense to gel, but it also incentivizes everyone else to take part in even the voluntary portions.
Perhaps down the line, Love will prefer to spend more of his offseason away from the team facility. But if so, that day hasn't arrived yet, and the Packers benefit greatly from his attendance now, something they almost certainly wouldn't have received from Rodgers at this stage of his career.
Packers putting Jordan Morgan on accelerated cross-training program
JBH: When Elgton Jenkins first arrived in Green Bay for the offseason program five years ago, the Packers initially worked him at both center and guard before expanding his repertoire during training camp and the preseason. The team took a similar approach for Zach Tom two years ago. For multi-positional offensive linemen, Green Bay's coaching staff has preferred to gradually fill a rookie's plate rather than throw him into the deep end on Day 1.
That seems to have changed with Jordan Morgan, the Packers' latest first-round pick. Though training camp remains over a month away, Morgan has already worked at every spot along the offensive line save for center. That shouldn't go unacknowledged because, while he earned high marks for positional versatility during the scouting process, he played only left tackle for the Arizona Wildcats. Jenkins and Tom each started at multiple spots during their collegiate careers.
Why have the Packers put Morgan on an accelerated cross-training program? Certainly, some of the motivation comes down to where the starting opportunities exist along the unit. While Jenkins will undoubtedly start barring injury, he has spent this offseason working at guard and center and could realistically handle either job. Similarly, Tom could kick inside from right tackle even though that doesn't seem like Plan A at this moment. Beyond them, Morgan could plausibly beat incumbent Rasheed Walker at left tackle, backfill for Tom on the other edge, or find a job along the interior depending on how the rest of the O-line settles.
Still, the Packers could have waited until camp or later to add those positions to Morgan's workload as they did with Jenkins and Tom in the past. That the coaching staff has already lined up Morgan at 80% of the spots along the offensive line suggests a belief that he can get up to speed faster than the typical rookie.
While that doesn't necessarily mean Morgan will hold a starting job come Week 1 -- Josh Myers and Sean Rhyan will have their say -- this development hints that the first-rounder has a chance to make a bigger Year 1 impact than the typical rookie offensive lineman.