GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers was not among the group of players who reported to Lambeau Field on Monday for the start of organized team activities, a source told ESPN.
That came as no surprise to the team, given that Rodgers did not participate in phase 1, which the Packers held virtually for the previous four weeks, or phase 2, which was held in person last week. However, Rodgers has been a regular participant in the offseason program and OTAs throughout his career.
Phase 3, which includes 10 total days of work spread over four weeks, began Monday. The first session open to reporters is Tuesday.
The entire offseason program, excluding the June 8-10 mandatory minicamp, is voluntary. However, Rodgers is one of 19 Packers players with an offseason workout bonus. He already has missed enough to disqualify him from cashing his $500,000 bonus.
It’s another sign that nothing has changed in the standoff between the Packers and Rodgers, who has told some in the organization that he does want to play there again after spending the first 16 years of his NFL career in Green Bay.
The Packers have maintained that they have no desire to trade Rodgers and want him to return for “2021 and beyond,” as Packers president Mark Murphy put it.
“I’ve got nothing new to update, and we still obviously feel the same way,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said during rookie minicamp earlier this month. “We want him back in the worst way. I know he knows that, and we’ll continue to work at it each and every day.”
The Packers signed two quarterbacks last week: veteran starter Blake Bortles and former Atlanta Falcons practice squad player Kurt Benkert, to go along with Rodgers and Jordan Love.
Love participated in last week’s rookie development program. Even though he’s a second-year player, he was eligible for the program because of an exemption that allows quarterbacks who played fewer than 25% of the snaps as a rookie to participate. Love did not take a single snap last season as a rookie. He was inactive for every game and served as the No. 3 quarterback in practice.
If Rodgers does not report for next month’s minicamp, he is subject to a fine of $93,085 ($15,515 for the first missed day, $31,030 for the second missed day and $46,540 for the third missed day).
It would get even more expensive come training camp. There is a mandatory fine of $50,000 per day missed, plus one week’s regular-season salary for each preseason game missed.