Although it has just turned December, the Packers are already facing questions about next season as the franchise sits 5–8 heading into Week 14.
For the last three seasons, they’ve made the playoffs. And while their playoff hopes for this season remain very up in the air, so is the status of Aaron Rodgers. The quarterback has flirted with the idea of retiring in recent years, but ahead of the season, he signed a new contract that could take him through the 2026 season.
However, after Sunday’s win over the Bears this weekend, Rodgers said his return to Green Bay would be contingent on whether there’s “mutual desire on both sides.” It prompted reporters to ask coach Matt LaFleur whether he would want the franchise’s cornerstone to return as the starter in 2023.
"Yeah, absolutely. Of course," LaFleur said, not skipping a beat. "But, you guys know how I feel. I have a hard time looking past the L.A. Rams [in Week 15] right now. And, obviously, this week is going to be great to kind of dig into ourselves and look at the film critically in every phase and try to challenge our guys in different areas that we can improve. But, then the focus will turn to the L.A. Rams. So that's where my mind is right now. But yeah, absolutely."
Rodgers has struggled more this season compared in campaigns past, suffering a finger and a rib injury while throwing for 2,864 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. LaFleur was asked in a follow-up question to evaluate his star QB’s performance this season, and his response seemed to touch on both Rodgers and young backup Jordan Love.
“I think we’ve got a great problem in terms of when you have confidence in multiple people,” LaFleur said. “You’d rather have that. I do think, just thinking about expectations, and certainly people expect—we all expect—a certain level from him every time and especially when you’re coming off back-to-back MVP seasons. I think you’ve got to be realistic about the situation, too, in terms of, you’re losing almost your entire receiving corps and there’s a lot of new pieces around ya. There’s going to be a learning curve to that. Not to make excuses, it is what it is.
“We always expect and want to play that perfect game each and every time we go out on the field. So, I think collectively, everybody’s got to be better, starting with myself. I just think expectations are a funny thing to try to manage. But, certainly, I think as an offense, I think we are showing improvement over the last few games—in terms of just a little bit more consistency. And I still think there’s a handful of snaps that you look back at yesterday and you’re like, we should be better there. Some missed opportunities where maybe you’re not down 19–10 or whatever it was in the fourth quarter. So, I just think it’s a collective effort with everybody.”
