Aaron Rodgers isn’t happy, and you don’t need to be a sleuth to figure out why.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback joined ESPN’s “Golic and Wingo” radio show Thursday morning, and when asked about the team’s wholesale changes on its coaching staff, admitted some of the moves were a little curious.
Co-host Trey Wingo asked Rodgers a follow-up question, prompting this eyebrow-raising response from the Packers quarterback about Green Bay’s decision to fire its QB coach, Alex Van Pelt:
“Well, my quarterback coach didn’t get retained. … I thought that was an interesting change, really without consulting me. There’s a close connection between quarterback and quarterback coach and that was an interesting decision.”
Translation: Rodgers is upset with the Packers about firing Van Pelt.
We understand the QB’s frustration: Van Pelt was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2014, and Rodgers had some of his best seasons with him at the helm, winning an NFL MVP award in 2014, reaching the Pro Bowl three straight times from 2014 to 2016 and leading the NFL in passing touchdowns in 2016.
It should be noted Green Bay’s decision to move on from Van Pelt might not have been one-sided, as ESPN’s Jason Wilde reports the assistant is interested in pursuing a coordinator job.
Still, Rodgers will have to learn plenty of new faces next season. The Packers let go of both their offensive and defensive coordinators, bringing in former Miami Dolphins coach (and former Packers offensive coordinator) Joe Philbin to run the offense in 2018.
