The Packers will start their voluntary 2022 off-season program on April 18th. When this program commences they’ll likely be without their back to back MVP. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aaron Rodgers will skip this portion of the off-season program. Does Rodgers need it? Absolutely not. He has skipped this program for the last few years and that has only resulted in back to back MVP awards.
What makes this year different however is what happens in May. Rodgers will report to mandatory training camp in June, however rookies will report in May. The Packers will begin OTAs May 23rd, with six different one- or two-day sessions running through mid-June. Their mandatory minicamp, meanwhile, is scheduled for June 7-9, just over a month before the expected start of training camp.
Aaron Rodgers won't attend the voluntary OTA practices, according to @TomSilverstein. He'll be fine – he won MVP last year after skipping the entire offseason – but it's not going to help the breaking-in process with the #Packers' rookie receiver(s).https://t.co/KMIvaL0Lj5
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberSI) April 13, 2022
Bill Huber has a point. This year will be different because Adams was traded to Las Vegas. Valdes-Scantling signed with Kansas City, and Tonyan may or may not be back from a torn ACL in time to start the season. With a massive hole in the receiver room, the Packers figure to invest heavily at receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft. Whether it’s a first-round pick, a second-round pick or a combination, the rookie receiver(s) will be expected to become instant contributors.
Rodgers will reportedly be absent for 9 of the 12 off-season scheduled programs. With rookies taking part in a majority of those, it won’t help the break in process. For years, Rodgers has said there’s a playbook that’s on paper and there’s a playbook that he runs on the grass. Understandably the rookies must learn the one on paper first. However it seems as though they’ll learn the one on grass as the season goes.
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