The Packers drafted Jordan Love as their quarterback of the future, but they remain Aaron Rodgers’ team for now.
In his 16th season, at age 36, Rodgers might have added motivation.
Rodgers said Wednesday he spent the quarantine studying his own game film while “finding my center” personally. He appears in a good place a little over a week until the season opener.
“I think, just like the 2011 offseason, the extra time was beneficial for those of us who chose to work on ourselves during that time,” Rodgers said, via Mike Spofford of the team website, “and I think that was the important thing. I think the more we work on ourselves, and we learn to love ourselves, the more we can love others better. And when you’re feeling good about yourself and confident and loving others, it’s naturally going to put you in a better mood.
“I think my quality of life has been pretty high, based on some important decisions I’ve made in my own life. And just finding my center a little bit better during those strange months during the offseason. So I came in excited to see the guys, excited to continue to build relationships with them and get to know them. I have a lot of close friends -- Big Dog (Mercedes Lewis) and Tom [Boyle] -- on this squad. I always enjoyed looking forward to seeing the guys and catching up and seeing how they’re doing. And then the other part was just taking a critical look at my play the last few years and then going back to some previous years about what I felt like when I was playing really, really well, (I asked) what was I doing slightly different than what I’ve been doing the last five years? I picked up on some things and tried to start incorporating them into my daily routine, and you pair that with a positive attitude and a comfort in the offense, it’s not surprising to me how camp has gone.”
Being in his second year in Matt LaFleur’s offense has helped Rodgers.
“I think he’s done an outstanding job throughout the entire camp,” LaFleur said Wednesday. “I couldn’t be more pleased with how he’s playing right now.”
Rodgers will join Bart Starr and Brett Favre as the only players to play 16 seasons in Green Bay. Rodgers, who also surely one day will join Starr and Favre in Canton, called it “great company.”
But even with Love behind him, ever present, Rodgers has time to add to his Packers legacy before Father Time and the Pro Football Hall of Fame come calling.
“It’s been a great run to get to this point,” Rodgers said. “I’ve had so much fun, and we’ve accomplished some pretty awesome things, and hopefully we’ve got another couple rides.”