Rodgers Tests Positive for COVID, Will Be Out for Sunday vs. Chiefs
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be available for Sunday’s game at the Kansas City Chiefs.
The news was broken by NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. Coach Matt LaFleur found out shortly before that and informed the players before the 8:30 a.m. team meeting.
Jordan Love, last year’s first-round pick, will make his first NFL start against the Chiefs. He is the only other quarterback on the roster, which adds just another layer to the story.
“He will be starting,” LaFleur said.
Rodgers was not vaccinated, according to a source, even though he said he was “immunized” when asked on Aug. 26.
“Yeah, I’ve been immunized,” Rodgers said. “You know, there’s a lot of conversation around it, around the league, and a lot of guys who have made statements and not made statements, owners who have made statements. There’s guys on the team that haven’t been vaccinated.
“I think it’s a personal decision. I’m not going to judge those guys. There are guys that’ve been vaccinated that have contracted COVID. It’s an interesting issue that I think we’re going to see played out the entire season.”
According to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky, Rodgers “petitioned the NFL to have an alternate treatment that he underwent before he returned to the Packers” but the league turned down that request. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Rodgers "received homeopathic treatment from his personal doctor to raise his antibody levels."
At least for his twice-weekly news conferences, Rodgers has been acting as if he has been vaccinated. Other non-vaccinated players have talked to reporters only via Zoom. Rodgers has spoken in person and without a mask. LaFleur would not say whether Rodgers had been skirting league rules.
Losing Rodgers was the internal concern when practice squad quarterback Kurt Benkert tested positive for COVID. After a three-day break following Thursday night’s upset victory at Arizona, Rodgers practiced on Monday but Benkert was not on the field. The Packers placed Benkert on the COVID-reserve list on Tuesday.
The Packers beat the Cardinals last week with receiver Davante Adams and Allen Lazard on the COVID-reserve list and defensive coordinator Joe Barry having tested positive for COVID, as well. They were able to get it done in part because of the presence of Rodgers. Now, they’ll have to get past the Chiefs with Love making his first start.
“Certainly, any time you don’t have your guys, that is a competitive disadvantage,” LaFleur said last week when asked about Lazard being out because he was unvaccinated. “But, listen, everybody’s got choices in this world and I’m not going to be the guy that’s going to sit there and criticize people for doing what they believe is right, so it is what it is and we’ll make the best of it.”
Rodgers’ absence threatens all the momentum built from seven consecutive victories and the team’s pursuit of the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. That’s because there’s no guarantee that he will be back for the following week’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks. For players who are not vaccinated, they must be away from the team for 10 days and can only return if they test negative on consecutive days. That’s the same protocols as last season, when there was not a vaccine. Thus, according to a timeline provided by the NFL, Rodgers could be cleared on Nov. 13. That's one day before the Seattle game.
“You just look at what’s going around in society in terms of all the COVID stuff, whether you’re vaccinated, unvaccinated, guys are contracting that virus so certainly that could potentially have big implications on your season if you’re not careful,” LaFleur said during training camp. “So, we’ve stressed that to our players, just trying to be as responsible as possible and really committed to doing whatever it takes to be our best this season.”
This will be the first significant playing time of Love’s career. He was inactive throughout his rookie season. During the final two seasons of a blowout loss against New Orleans in Week 1, Love was 5-of-7 passing for 68 yards. He led a successful drive but fumbled on a first-and-goal at the 5.
“I know he’s been working hard every day, and I think Luke Getsy does a great job with him, getting him prepared,” LaFleur said. “The majority of his reps have taken place on the scout team, but when we’re doing those scout teams in practice, you try to take whatever’s on the card or whatever play that they’re running and put it into our terms to help the development process. So, I know he takes every rep very seriously.”
With Rodgers skipping the offseason program, Love took the overwhelming majority of reps throughout OTAs and the minicamp. And he would have gotten most of the snaps during the preseason had he not sustained a shoulder injury in the preseason opener. In two games against Houston and Buffalo, Love completed 24-of-35 passes for 271 yards and an 89.1 passer rating.
Now, ready or not, Love will be starting in a marquee matchup facing teams that have reached back-to-back conference championship games or, in the case of the Chiefs, back-to-back Super Bowls. There’s literally no backup plan. Rodgers, Love and Benkert are the only quarterbacks under contract, though Blake Bortles will be brought back after spending the offseason with the team.
“We have to bring somebody back in, or into the building, to give us some depth there. No question,” LaFleur said.
In 2019, Green Bay won at Kansas City with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes out with a knee injury.
