The Green Bay Packers lost to the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in another disappointing Week One contest. Aaron Rodgers did not seem to gel very well with his new wide receiving core. The four-time MVP was 22/34 for 195 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. Ever since the loss, clips and pictures have been posted online showing wide open wide receivers down field. Either Rodgers did not look their way or was sacked before he could throw the ball. Andy Herman of Pack-A-Day did an exceptional job explaining it here:
As the Packers have gone through this week of practice, Rodgers has, of course, been asked about his faith in the young wide receivers. To answer their question, Rodgers gave this answer:
Aaron Rodgers is optimistic rookie WRs Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs will develop: "These are good kids. They really are. They want to please, they want to do the right thing, they care about it. I'm going to figure out a way to continue to get on the same frequency with them"
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) September 14, 2022
This is certainly consistent with what Rodgers has said about Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs all offseason. Indeed, Rodgers and the rookies need to improve their chemistry and get on the same page. However, the fact that Rodgers still speaks so highly of them should give Packers fans hope that the dud on Sunday was a blip on the radar. It will not be the norm.
Aaron Rodgers Did Not Have the Same High Praise for Amari Rodgers
As my colleague McQuade Arnold noted here, Aaron Rodgers did not have the same response when asked about Amari Rodgers’ lack of snaps on the offense on Sunday. The second-year wide receiver acted as the Packers’ kick and punt returner against the Vikings, but did not see the field at all on offense. When asked about Amari’s role in the offense, the MVP quarterback said, “Yeah. He’s returning for us now. That’s all I got on it.”
If the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback had any kind of hope that Amari Rodgers could be a contributor on offense, he would have said so. Since he did not, it seems as if offensive snaps will be few and far between for last year-s third-round pick.
The statements, of course, led to plenty of debate on social media from Packers fans. After all, Amari Rodgers played pretty well in the preseason. However, as CheeseheadTV’s Tim Backes points out, the Packers are obviously seeing things that fans are not:
I'm not the "give up on a guy after his first year" kind of person, but Amari Rodgers actively harmed the team every time he set foot on the field in 2021 and in year two his quarterback is not-so-subtly saying he's not even close to being a contributor. Sooooo yeah. https://t.co/lNlLCZnF0J
— Tim Backes (@timbackes) September 15, 2022
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Amari Rodgers this season and beyond. Randall Cobb, whom Rodgers has been compared to since even before he was drafted, will be a free agent after the season. Will the Packers be patient and allow Amari to take over after the season, or will they explore a trade in the offseason? Only time will tell.
Related: The Packers Recent History of Bad Third Round Picks
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