Matt LaFleur on Aaron Rodgers: ‘Hell yeah, he better be back here’
Minutes after Aaron Rodgers pondered his own immediate future following a 31-26 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game, Packers coach Matt LaFleur delivered an emotionally charged and powerful answer to a question about his quarterback’s future in Green Bay.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky asked LaFleur if he thought he’d get another chance to get back to an NFC Championship Game with Rodgers as his quarterback.
“I sure as hell hope so,” LaFleur said. “I mean, the guy is the MVP of this league. He is the heart and soul of our football team. Hell yeah, he better be back here. He’s our leader. Just so appreciative of him buying into what we’re trying to get done around here and leading that group. His voice carries a lot of weight in that locker room. I feel for him. To be in this situation, and for us not to get it done, that hurts.”
Rodgers threw 48 touchdown passes, finished second all-time in passer rating for a single season, led the Packers to 13 regular-season wins and is the heavy favorite to win a third MVP. First-round pick Jordan Love might be the future, but Rodgers played at an elite level for LaFleur in 2020 and is also under contract for the next three seasons.
In Rodgers’ post-game press conference, the 37-year-old quarterback openly contemplated the uncertain futures of himself and various other teammates in Green Bay, setting off an avalanche of speculation as the Packers enter the offseason.
If Rodgers has any uncertainty about his immediate future with the Packers, LaFleur’s response proved the head coach has none. His answer included conviction in Rodgers as his quarterback and also utter devastation in his inability to get Rodgers back to the Super Bowl. Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers was the fourth-straight for Rodgers in the NFC title game.
The guess here is that LaFleur would not have been as confident in Rodgers as his quarterback without knowing exactly what general manager Brian Gutekunst is thinking at the position, both for this offseason and long term. The two men have been on the same page since the Packers hired LaFleur in 2019.
Not much has changed. The most likely scenario for Rodgers, based off the salary cap and likely developmental schedule of the quarterbacks behind him, was always to play at least one more season in Green Bay before a decision needed to be made.
If the coach has it his way, there’s no doubt who will be the starting quarterback of the Packers in 2021.
