Matt LaFleur has responded to reports that Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur responded to the reports that legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay following the 2021 NFL Draft, Saturday. A rift between Rodgers and the team’s general manager, Brian Gutekunst, began to develop after the Packers drafted Jordan Love in 2020 without informing Rodgers.
“Yeah, I know, and I can’t even take my brain to that spot right now,” LaFleur told reporters. “So I just want to do everything in my power to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
Rey Del Rio / Getty Images
“I can’t fathom [him] not being in Green Bay,” he added. “That’s where my mind’s at. I don’t only love the player, but I love the person. I love working with him on a daily basis; I think we all do — from the players in that locker room to the coaching staff. Again, I don’t even want to let my mind go there.”
LaFleur joined the Packers in 2019 after the team moved on from Rodgers’ former head coach, Mike McCarthy, who worked with the organization from 2006–2018.
“I’ll always remain hopeful and optimistic, and certainly, we’ll always welcome him back with open arms,” LaFleur said. “He knows exactly how not only myself but our staff and our players feel about him. Like I said before, I just can’t imagine him not being in a Green Bay Packer uniform.”
Earlier this week, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported that Rodgers plans to refuse to rejoin the Packers until Gutekunst is fired.
[Via]