Now that his Green Bay Packers tenure is over, Aaron Rodgers responded to criticism of him not attending voluntary offseason practices during his final years.
Some onlookers especially questioned Rodgers for not reporting to OTAs last spring to work with a young group of wide receivers attempting to replace the traded Davante Adams. Per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, the Packers were also displeased by a perceived lack of commitment and effort from the MVP quarterback.
However, Rodgers claimed the importance of OTAs is overblown, calling any progress “very nominal.”
“When I’m in, I’m all-in, and you wanna ride with offseason workouts?” I won MVP without doing offseason workouts,” Rodgers told Schneidman. “Like, was my commitment any less then? I’d say not at all. The way that I come back to work, not just physically in good shape but mentally refreshed, is the best thing for me to have the season I wanted to have during those [years] in Green Bay.
“I think that’s just a cop-out written to try and find something to disparage me about that, honestly. When you know what offseason workouts are really about, it’s completely ridiculous.”
What really happened with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the three years after they took Jordan Love?
I heard stories and then asked Rodgers if he wanted to respond.
He called me and had plenty to say.
Behind the scenes in Green Bay, new @TheAthletic: https://t.co/aFjOuzT8hI
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) May 31, 2023
Rodgers also said the team told him they wanted him to retire as a Packer after the 2022 season. He was supposed to meet with general manager Brian Gutekunst in late January, but it never occurred because “life happens.”
Responding to Gutekunst’s claims in March that he attempted to contact Rodgers “many times,” the 39-year-old blamed bad phone reception and Gutekunst not using FaceTime to call.
It’s been a while since Rodgers had a quiet offseason without questions about his future. His longtime Packers career ended when they shipped him to the New York Jets last month.
Despite downplaying the significance of OTAs, he showed up last week. A tweaked calf might have confirmed his opinions about May practices.