If anyone knows how Aaron Rodgers is a teammate, it’s Jordy Nelson.
The duo spent nine seasons together with the Packers before Nelson was released from Green Bay prior to the 2018 NFL season. Nelson was Rodgers’ go-to target and the quarterback certainly missed his now-former teammate last season, which saw the Packers finish with a 6-9-1 record, miss the playoffs and fire head coach Mike McCarthy.
There certainly was plenty of drama surrounding Green Bay (not to the level of the Pittsburgh Steelers), and many started wondering if Rodgers was the problem. Former Packers tight end Mark Chmura shredded the QB, calling him a “prima donna” after McCarthy’s firing.
Former teammates have not shied away from calling Rodgers out (see Jermichael Finley’s 2016 comments calling Rodgers “self-centered”), but Nelson scoffed at the criticism of the 35-year-old in an interview with ESPN Wisconsin, calling it “comical.”
“Everyone knows negativity sells. People don’t want to hear (the good),” Nelson said, as transcribed by ForTheWin. “People feel better about themselves when they hear bad things about other people. And that’s why that gets more pub.
“I mean, no one wants to hear that Aaron’s not only obviously a great quarterback but a great leader and does everything right. All right, there’s your story,” he added. What fun is that? So whenever they can, they go back to the well and get the same people to say the same stuff.
“I think if you look, there’s two guys — now three (with Gbaja-Biamilia) — saying it, compared to the hundreds that are saying the opposite. It doesn’t make sense. I think it’s comical when I read those comments.”
Nelson added even though Rodgers “demands a lot,” he’s still a good leader who also demands “a lot of himself.”
Green Bay certainly will be looking to bounce back from its lackluster 2018 season under the watch of new head coach Matt LaFleur.
