Green Bay Packers quarterback and free-thinker Aaron Rodgers made it clear over the last year that, in his mind, he knows all the answers better than everyone. And that includes his teammates, whom he threw under the bus during an interview with The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday.
While the anti-vaxxer who loves spouting opinions that usually come from college sophomores who just took their first sociology class usually keeps his strong opinions to off-field endeavors, he’s apparently had enough with his teammates’ mistakes and dropped passes this season.
Two weeks ago, Rodgers tried his hand at offering a zen response to the situation. With the Packers struggling and the passing game far below the usual standards that earned him back-to-back MVP awards, Rodgers said that he wanted to hear positive language and thoughts coming from the franchise.
Aaron Rodgers: “We have to watch our language and the kind of energy we’re manifesting. I’m going to be steady with the guys and I expect our leadership to do the same.”
— zach jacobson (@itszacharyj) October 16, 2022
“We have to watch our language and the kind of energy we’re manifesting,” said Rodgers. “I’m going to be steady with the guys and I expect our leadership to do the same,” in perhaps a reference to head coach Matt LaFleur.
He also said something similar about teammate Jaire Alexander a week earlier, who said that he would be worried if the Packers lost the following week.
“I’m a firm believer in the power of words and manifestation,” said Rodgers in response. “And we got to check ourselves on that. Because talking about that, that’s not winning football. There was conversation about that in the locker room and I don’t like it.”
However, whatever positive manifestation Rodgers was trying to inspire went out the window on Tuesday when the quarterback essentially said some of his teammates shouldn’t be out there anymore following their loss over the weekend, in which the QB put up his lowest passing yardage total on the season.
Aaron Rodgers: "Guys who are making too many mistakes, shouldn't be playing. Gotta start cutting some reps. Maybe guys who aren't playing, maybe give them a chance."
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) October 25, 2022
“Guys who are making too many mistakes, shouldn’t be playing,” said Rodgers. “Gotta start cutting some reps. Maybe guys who aren’t playing, maybe give them a chance.”
"We had too many mental mistakes & errors on Sunday.. it seems like we have double digit mistakes every week" @AaronRodgers12 shares his thoughts on the Packers loss in Washington #PMSLive #ART pic.twitter.com/Kk5gfeX7VV
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 25, 2022
“We had so many mental errors & mistakes,” said Rodgers about last Sunday’s loss. “It’s double-digit [mistakes] every week.”
Not surprisingly, Rodgers isn’t taking too much, if any, blame for the Packers’ 3-4 start on the season, despite his poor play at times. And given his comments on Tuesday, it sounds like things are likely to get even uglier in the days ahead, especially if Green Bay keeps losing. A trip to Western New York to play the Buffalo Bills certainly doesn’t bode well in that department.