It’s the first thing we’ve heard from Aaron Rodgers since the season ended and it wasn’t good. This morning, Rodgers appeared on ESPN’s Golic and Wingo to discuss his shoulder and the changes made to the front office and coaching staff. Rodgers got testy when discussing his former position coach who was fired at the beginning of January. Mike McCarthy decided to part ways with Alex Van Pelt after Brett Hundley fell short of expectations. QB1 feels like McCarthy should have run this by him before pulling the trigger.  Van Pelt has since signed with the Cincinnati Bengals for the same title.

Here is Rodgers full statement:

“My quarterback coach [Alex Van Pelt] didn’t get retained. I thought that was an interesting change, really without consulting me. There’s a close connection between quarterback and quarterback coach, and that was an interesting decision.”

Van Pelt was Rodgers position coach from 2014 to 2017. During that time they became close and picked each other’s minds during games. Van Pelt was the first guy Rodgers embraced after beating the Dallas Cowboys in last year’s playoffs thanks to a game-winning field goal from Mason Crosby.

Rodgers did say his collarbone is fine and isn’t concerned about long-term issues. He is able to play golf and has full range of motion.

Leaving the interview, Rodgers was obviously displeased with the decision and the lack of communication that went into it. When a guy like Rodgers is the face of the franchise it is important to keep him happy. This will not be a good lede heading into contract extension talks that should be happening shortly.

 

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Brandon Carwile was a Cheesehead at birth. His dad grew up attending games at Lambeau and passed on the legacy. He has covered the Packers for over five years and currently works with packerstalk.com. Find him on twitter at @PackerScribe.

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