Aaron Rodgers believes the curtains are closing on his time in Green Bay but his coach envisions a different conclusion to the gunslinger's saga.
Five days after Rodgers said he expects rookie Jordan Love to avoid a years-long sit on the bench similar to what he endured, Matt LaFleur was asked to address the ongoing chatter surrounding the future of the eventual Hall of Famer and the QB the Packers traded up four spots in the first round to select in April.
LaFleur, fresh off his first year as A-Rod's head honcho, doesn't foresee the eventual ushering out the door Rodgers does; instead, he pictures the exact opposite.
"Right now, most importantly, Aaron's our quarterback and I see him here for a really long time," LaFleur told reporters Sunday. "And however long that is, I don't think anybody knows. Nothing's guaranteed in this league but I feel so lucky to be able to work with him on a daily basis. I don't see that changing for a really long time."
Clearly, LaFleur relished Year 1 at Lambeau Field and doesn't want the good times to stop rolling. But, as Rodgers eluded to last Tuesday, Love's arrival could mean he won't finish his career in Green Bay.
As tempting as it is to look ahead and endlessly hypothesize whenever a team adds a young talent at such a marquee position, the Packers' focus remains on this fall which, barring any drastic changes, will see Rodgers play out his age-37 season with LaFleur.
Given the unpredictable nature of an offseason impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be wise of the Packers brass to plan for any and everything, such as the likelihood that more could be added to the reserve/COVID-19 list. Four Packers, including long-time kicker Mason Crosby, are currently on the list.
LaFleur said Sunday that the team has discussed having a quarantined QB that would attend virtual meetings but spend little if any time around the team.
"Yeah, we've floated around that idea a little bit. We have not made a decision on that at this point but that's certainly something that's not out of the realm of possiblity," he said.
There are still many things left to figure out ahead of the unprecedented 2020 campaign but the sight of Rodgers again donning the green and gold should hopefully provide the Green Bay faithful -- and NFL fans at large -- with some sense of normalcy.
