Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy believes quarterback Aaron Rodgers is excited about the team’s change at head coach, based on conversations between the two since Murphy hired Matt LaFleur to replace Mike McCarthy.
Murphy spoke with Rob Demovsky of ESPN on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“I’m excited. I know he’s excited. I’ve had some discussions with him,” Murphy said.
The Packers hired LaFleur on Jan. 8. Rodgers has remained mostly silent about the hire publicly. He touched on the coaching change briefly at the NFL Honors ceremony in Atlanta before the Super Bowl, stating: “A lot of change in life is tough at first, but it usually works out for the best. So I’m excited about what’s going on in Green Bay and the future there.”
Murphy mostly echoed those comments when asked what Rodgers is excited about with the new coach.
“I think the change,” Murphy said. “And I think he knows Matt’s background and the work he’s done with quarterbacks. Change is hard, but it’s good. And I think he’s excited about the change.”
Rodgers and McCarthy enjoyed a highly successful 11-year run together. They won Super Bowl XLV and Rodgers earned two league MVPs, but the relationship and the Packers offense eventually stagnated and grew stale, sending the Packers into a spiral the last two seasons.
Murphy fired McCarthy after the Packers lost to the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 3.
Who knows if LaFleur will improve on what McCarthy left behind, but sometimes change can be the driving force for good in a professional environment. Consistency is great, but it can also breed complacency. Changing head coaches could be the shock to the system needed to reset the current course in Green Bay.
No two men will have a bigger say in the new direction than LaFleur and Rodgers.
There’s reason to believe the change will benefit Rodgers. LaFleur’s history working with talented quarterbacks and a new, more modern offense could re-energize Rodgers, who – even at age 35 – remains one of the smartest and most physically talented quarterbacks in the NFL. LaFleur is bringing a proven offensive scheme to Green Bay, which should excite Rodgers and provide the kind of mental and physical challenge that competitors of Rodgers’ caliber often seek.
Time will tell. As Murphy told ESPN, Rodgers “must embrace” the change and buy into everything LaFleur is selling as a first-time head coach. There will be bumps in the road, but Rodgers has every reason to be excited about how the change could positively affect his chances of playing in another Super Bowl.
