Packers: 5 Big Questions for the Offense Entering Training Camp
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers training camp will begin about a month from now and the preseason will begin shortly after. So let’s take a look ahead at five big questions on the offensive side of the ball that will have to be answered over the course of late July and all through August.
Will Aaron Rodgers join the Green Bay Packers?
Well, we might as well get the big one out of the way, right?
As we all know, Aaron Rodgers was not at voluntary OTAs and he also skipped mandatory mini-camp, which came with a fine of $93,085—that is, if the Green Bay Packers didn’t waive it via an excused absence. So the next big date on the calendar for this saga is the beginning of training camp.
Per the CBA, Rodger is subject to a $50,000 fine for every day missed, and if he misses the entirety of camp, those fines will total over $2 million. While we know Rodgers is upset, considering that we’ve heard very little from the reigning MVP, we don’t know if he truly does want out of Green Bay or if he’s willing to continue this holdout into the preseason.
If this does drag on into August, it could signify that this relationship is irreconcilable—something that has been assumed by many, but again, something we don’t know to be certain either. On the flip side, former Green Bay Packers’ Executive Andrew Brandt recently told Ross Tucker that he doesn’t believe training camp is a hard deadline and could see this dragging out even further.
"“You know my saying: Deadlines spur action,” Brandt told Tucker via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “And somehow I don’t think training camp is the deadline for Aaron and the Packers. What is it? Late August? Early September? He doesn’t need training camp. … I don’t think training camp is the deadline at all. And secretly like (with) minicamp, the Packers wouldn’t mind that because they could give (backup quarterback) Jordan Love real reps.”"
It goes without saying, but as of now, I’m not sure anyone knows what to expect come July 27th. Even those inside 1265 Lombardi Avenue may not know what’s coming. Will Rodgers be there for Day 1? Will he sit out or publicly demand a trade? Or will he come back just before the regular season begins? Who knows.