Aaron Rodgers skipped the Green Bay Packers' voluntary workouts this spring. The first mandatory portion of the offseason starts next week.
With rumors swirling about Rodgers' dissatisfaction regarding the organization, coach Matt LaFleur was asked Wednesday whether he's heard from the quarterback and if he expects Rodgers to be at mandatory minicamp, which opens June 8 in Green Bay.
"I've got nothing to update on that situation," LaFleur said. "I don't know. We'll see come Tuesday."
Despite having a $500,000 workout bonus, Rodgers has skipped out on workouts and OTAs this offseason. The NFL MVP would be subject to fines of $93,000 if he misses the three-day mandatory minicamp next week -- not a figure Rodgers is likely to shudder at losing.
The Packers have insisted since news dropped of Rodgers' dissatisfaction that they have no plans to part ways with the future Hall of Famer. Their actions have backed up that sentiment.
One example is Robert Tonyan's contract. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that in re-signing the tight end, the Packers, in a rare move, treated most of his $3.384 million restricted free agent tender as a bonus for salary cap purposes, tacking on four voidable years and saving close to $1.9 million on this year's cap. Up against the cap, the Packers have cleared about $4.4 million total the past week.
Squeezed against the cap, if the Packers believed they would trade Rodgers -- clearing $16 million -- they wouldn't need to make moves piecemeal. The bit-by-bit maneuvers to clear cap space are another indicator they don't plan on trading the MVP.
Whether Rodgers stays the course in the face of the Packers' persistence and decides to skip minicamp is another matter. We'll find out for certain in less than a week.
