Aaron Rodgers Explains Plan to Fix Chemistry With Young Receivers

It was expected that the Packers offense wouldn’t look the same after star wideout Davante Adams was traded away. But the team’s 23–7 loss to the Vikings in Week 1 showed just how inconsistent the current Green Bay receiving corps really is. And quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn’t been shy about addressing it. 

The four-time NFL MVP ripped the young wideouts on his team during training camp for dropping passes, running the wrong routes and making bad route decisions. But whatever he said to them apparently didn’t sink in, and Rodgers addressed what needs to change. 

“The most important thing is to communicate with them,” Rodgers told reporters Wednesday, per the Wisconsin State Journal. “And figure out what style works best for them. Direct communication, though, always kind of cuts through the uneasiness and the anxiety and any of the gray area in the things that we do.”

Rodgers harped heavily on communication and acknowledged his receivers are younger than most. One of the most memorable plays of the loss to Minnesota came when rookie wideout Christian Watson dropped a wide open and perfectly placed pass that likely would have been a touchdown. 

“There’s a standard I’m going to hold these guys to, because I believe in them, but also there’s a patience that comes with the inexperience,” he said, per the State Journal. “I think I’ve learned how to balance that. But the direct conversations are the best way. These are good kids. They really are. They want to please. They want to do the right thing. They care about it.

“I’m going to figure out a way to continue to get on the same frequency with them, and at the core of it is just communication,” he continued. “At the end of the day, that’s how that trust is built, through that direct communication.”

Watch the Packers with fuboTV. Start free trial today.

• Packer Central: Stenavich: Bakhtiari Will Return to Elite Level 

For more Green Bay Packers coverage, go to Packer Central.