Packers' Matt LaFleur comments on injury to Jets' Aaron Rodgers

Matt LaFleur served as Aaron Rodgers' head coach with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 through last season and told media members on Wednesday that he texted the New York Jets quarterback who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles on Monday night. 

"I feel for him," LaFleur said about Rodgers, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "Never want to see anybody go through that. Anytime you have a player of his caliber not playing football, it's bad for the game."

Rodgers earned NFL Most Valuable Player honors for the 2020 and 2021 seasons working with LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, but the future Hall of Famer and LaFleur never got past the NFC Championship Game in two tries while together. While some suggested as far back as this past spring that LaFleur likes the fact he now has more control of the offense with Jordan Love atop the depth chart, it was later reported that the offseason situation involving Rodgers and the Packers "was as amicable as a breakup can be between a superstar and a team that wasn’t injury-related." 

Interestingly, Demovsky noted that LaFleur tore his Achilles in his first year with the Packers. 

"I know I'm an elite physical specimen," LaFleur joked about comparing his recovery to what Rodgers has in front of him. "I would think someone of his caliber, I would bet he'd have no problem coming back from that."

Rodgers turns 40 years old in December, and it's unknown how his body will respond to the expected surgery and rehab he'll need assuming he'll want to play as soon as next September. Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters Wednesday that he'd "be shocked if this is the way (Rodgers is) going to go out," but Saleh added the two haven't yet discussed plans for the future beyond how Rodgers could address the injury. 

Both the Jets and Packers earned Week 1 victories without Rodgers completing a single pass for either club.