Aaron Rodgers has hilarious half-joke after Matt LaFleur makes telling comparison between him and Jordan Love
The veteran is proud of his mental approach to the game, and LaFleur’s praise of Love generated an interesting response.
Aaron Rodgers had a hilarious reaction when confronted with what Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said about quarterback Jordan Love and their comparison at the line of scrimmage. During training camp, LaFleur praised Love’s progression in managing and operating the line of scrimmage, making adjustments to calls and protections. LaFleur went as far as saying Love was the best he had been around in terms of adjusting protections, and that included some pretty smart quarterbacks. One of them is obviously Rodgers, whom LaFleur coached from 2019 through 2022 in Green Bay.
Rodgers heard that quote, though, and he had a fun reaction. Rodgers went on the “Wilde and Tausch” show on ESPN Wisconsin and had this response to LaFleur:
“He’s probably still mad I changed too many of his plays,” Rodgers half-joked. “Big statement when he had a guy winning back-to-back MVPs. Guess I wasn’t doing too much at the LOS.”
Back in August, LaFleur didn’t hold back in his praise to Love’s development as a quarterback in the NFL. But the coach admitted Rodgers was part of that evolution.
“He’s got to be the best I’ve been around in terms of protections and adjustments, and rarely does he get out-schemed,” LaFleur said. “It’s pretty remarkable. And that was all formed for him coming into the league. I think having the opportunity to sit back, learn from Aaron, and watch him do it at the level he did, it was invaluable for him.”
A complex relationship that produced results
LaFleur and Rodgers had an interesting relationship during their time together with the Packers. Early on, it was a real topic of discussion whether Rodgers would have the freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage and how LaFleur would handle it. That dynamic eventually became a non-factor because the two worked together to build the best version possible of that Packers offensive iteration.
Rodgers won back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021 under LaFleur’s system, and the partnership produced three consecutive 13-win seasons.
The quote from Rodgers carries a layer of pride about his mental ability to adjust the offense and put his unit in the best position to succeed on every play. Even if he was half joking, Rodgers clearly wanted to defend his style of play and how he approached protections and the offensive operation in general.
Now it’s a different circumstance for LaFleur. Love is a quarterback who probably plays more within structure, and for LaFleur it certainly makes sense to build his game plans around that approach. The praise for Love’s growth at the line of scrimmage is meaningful because it signals that Green Bay’s quarterback is taking on more responsibility in his fourth year as the full-time starter.
But a quarterback of Rodgers’ talent and mental approach to the game was a differentiator for that version of the Packers. LaFleur praising Love in that specific area was always going to draw a response from Rodgers, and the four-time MVP winner delivered exactly the kind of quip you’d expect.
