Aaron Rodgers will 'most likely not' play this preseason

Aaron Rodgers will “most likely not” play this preseason according to Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter after LaFleur spoke to the media on Tuesday morning.

The news is unsurprising given the 37-year-old is in his third season in LaFleur’s offense, and Rodgers has not seen preseason action since 2018. The coaching staff knows what they have in Rodgers, and the injury risk is too great.

Second-year quarterback Jordan Love will start against Houston on Saturday in the first of Green Bay’s three preseason games. They will face the Jets at home on Aug. 21 and the Bills in Buffalo on Aug. 28. Love spent the offseason preparing to be the Packers’ starter as Rodgers did not attend OTAs and other offseason programming.

Love saw no action during his 2020 rookie season. That includes the preseason since it was canceled due to COVID-19. The presumptive heir to Rodgers’ throne will get much needed reps in the coming three contests. Additionally, the Packers’ front office will be able to get a closer look at Love’s skill set in a game-like environment. 

Third-string quarterback Kurt Beckert signed with the team in May after beating out Chad Kelly for the spot and will come in for Love to finish the preseason games.

Rodgers and Love have an excellent relationship

Last week, Rodgers revealed that he had been keeping Love in the loop during the trade speculation and arguing between Rodgers and the Packers’ front office. 

“And then I just reached out; I reached out a number of times [to] check on him [and] see how he’s doing,” Rodgers said, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “I didn’t hold things from him. I let him know where I was at mentally and what I was thinking about. And hopefully he appreciated that.”

Rodgers’ relationship with Love has been a hot topic of conversation since the Packers drafted him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. When the Packers chose Rodgers in the 2005 NFL Draft, Brett Favre infamously said it was not his job to mentor young Rodgers. Rodgers appears to be taking a different approach with Love. 

The veteran Rodgers becomes a free agent after the 2022 season, as his contract will now void seven days prior to the 2023 league year. He cannot be franchise tagged. The contract was previously set to go through the end of the 2023 season.

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