Packers: Rodgers officially a holdout after missing minicamp start
The Green Bay Packers are moving to the next phase of their preparations for the 2021 NFL season, but are doing so without Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers was not present as the Green Bay Packers reported for their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, officially making the league MVP a holdout.
Rodgers once more a no-show after missing OTAs
Rodgers skipped Green Bay's organised team activities, which began last month, and has seemingly decided to do the same with a phase of the offseason program he is required to attend.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Rodgers did not show up for minicamp, with the stand-off between the star quarterback and the Packers showing no sign of coming to an end.
Rodgers cast a shadow over the first round of the NFL Draft in April when it was reported he did not wish to return to the Packers.
The San Francisco 49ers were said to have spoken to Green Bay about a potential trade for Rodgers before selecting quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the draft.
Unhappiness not about Jordan Love, Rodgers says
Many believed Rodgers' frustration with the Packers stemmed from them trading up to select his heir apparent, Jordan Love, in the first round of last year's draft.
However, in an interview with ESPN, Rodgers' rejected those claims. "With my situation, look, it's never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan," he said last month. "I love Jordan; he's a great kid. [It has been] a lot of fun to work together.
"I love the coaching staff, love my team-mates, love the fan base in Green Bay. [It has been] an incredible 16 years.
"It's just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go. It's about character, it's about culture, it's about doing things the right way.
"A lot of this was put in motion last year, and the wrench was just kind of thrown into it when I won MVP and played the way I played last year.
"This is just kind of, I think, a spill-out of all that. But it is about the people, and that's the most important thing. Green Bay has always been about the people."
Rodgers collected third NFL MVP award of career in 2020
Rodgers' MVP season in 2020 was the third of his Hall of Fame career. He led the NFL in completion percentage (70.7) and passing touchdowns (48) while throwing for 4,299 yards.
He had a well-thrown percentage of 82.4, per Stats Perform data, with only Philip Rivers (84.7) and Ryan Tannehill (82.6) producing an accurate, well-thrown ball more often last season.
Yet the Packers lost in the NFC Championship Game for the second successive season and their quest to go one further, which begins on 12 September against the New Orleans Saints, looks increasingly like it may begin with Love under center rather than Rodgers.