Skip to main content

Rodgers Won’t Play in Preseason Opener

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said it's possible Aaron Rodgers would play in the preseason finale, even behind a makeshift offensive line.
  • Author:
  • Updated:
    Original:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers will not play in the Green Bay Packers’ preseason opener at the San Francisco 49ers on Friday night.

Coach Matt LaFleur’s decision isn’t a surprise. After all, Rodgers didn’t play in the preseason in 2019 (LaFleur’s first season), 2020 (COVID eliminated the preseason) and 2021. LaFleur wouldn’t rule Rodgers out of the preseason altogether, though. He said he’d “probably look at it after New Orleans.” The Saints are coming to Green Bay for joint practices next week before their preseason game at Lambeau Field on Friday, Aug. 19.

That leaves the preseason finale on Thursday, Aug. 25, at the Kansas City Chiefs as a possibility for the four-time MVP. The balance for LaFleur is finding harmony in a receiver corps that’s trying to figure things out without Davante Adams but also keeping him healthy for the games that matter.

LaFleur said the uncertainty on the offensive line is not factoring into his decision. The Packers are without All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari as well as Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins, who capably replaced Bakhtiari last season and might wind up at right tackle when everyone is healthy.

Without those two, they have spent most of training camp with Yosh Nijman at left tackle and either Royce Newman, last year’s starting right guard, or Zach Tom, a rookie fourth-round pick, at right tackle.

“I think absolutely we would,” play Rodgers behind that group, LaFleur said. “We still have confidence in those guys. Those guys are going to have to play. We’d just be very particular about what plays we’re calling. We’re not going to have open edges and seven-step drops that take a long time to develop. We’d just be super-intentional about what we call, which we are in every instance usually, anyway.”

Jordan Love will start against the 49ers. He is coming off a good stretch of practices and made the big play of Family Night with a 54-yard touchdown pass with rookie Devonte Wyatt in his face. Now, he must take his improved play into the games.

“It’s something I’ve got to improve on,” Love said of passing under pressure. “Going back to the Lions game last year at the end, the two-minute drive, I had a throw with a guy in my face that I missed and it could have been a big play. That’s something that I looked at during the offseason and thinking about how I have to get better at being able to stay in the pocket and take those hits and still be able to make those throws.”

Injury update: There were no major changes though Bakhtiari and Jenkins were firing out of their stances during their rehab work.

Packers Monday Injury Report

Returned to practice: WR Randall Cobb (rest).

New Injuries: LB Ty Summers (illness).

Old injuries: S Innis Gaines (hamstring), C Cole Schneider (ankle), WR Osirus Mitchell (quad).

Physically unable to perform list: K Mason Crosby (knee), WR Christian Watson (knee), RB Kylin Hill (knee), LT David Bakhtiari (knee), OL Elgton Jenkins (knee), TE Robert Tonyan (knee).

USATSI_18826851
USATSI_18826831
USATSI_18818401
USATSI_18753377
USATSI_18829859
USATSI_18807792
USATSI_18829866
USATSI_18762429(1)
USATSI_18806975(1)
USATSI_18818565
USATSI_18802502(1)