The Sunday night window has already had one juicy reunion storyline involving the Packers: Green Bay’s Week 4 trip to Dallas, where recently acquired forward Micah Parsons faced his former team for the first time.
That game ended in a 40-40 tie. LaFleur aims to ensure his team wins this time around with the understanding that Rodgers will play a key role in his team’s preparation and game plan, but also the expectation that Rodgers won’t fuel emotional issues with his Packers.
“I don’t even know if a lot of those guys played with him,” LaFleur said. “There are a few guys but I think it’s just – it’s for you guys.”
LaFleur is mostly correct in his quick assessment of roster transfers from Rodgers’ last season (2022) to now. A quick scan of the roster reveals about a dozen players currently on the Packers who were members of the 2022 team, a group that now represents Green Bay’s efforts to pivot the roster toward a younger future.
Jordan Love sat behind Rodgers on the depth chart, while outfielders Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson were rookies. The same went for linebacker Quay Walker, and other current key players (Josh Myers, Elgton Jenkins, Rashan Gary, Isaiah McDuffie, Devonte Wyatt, Zach Tom, Sean Rhyan, Kingsley Enagbare) were still playing on rookie contracts in 2022.
If anything, their memories of Rodgers are likely tied to impending change and perhaps even a desire to turn the page on a new era with Love. Those days are long gone now.
Still, the build-up to the game will undoubtedly include memories of Rodgers’ 18 years in Green Bay, including his last four under LaFleur. The coach will ignore the debate and keep his focus on what matters most in 2025: winning the next game on the schedule.
“I’m going to talk about how we — just like we do every week, what’s our blueprint?” LaFleur said. “What are our keys to go to Pittsburgh, which is a damn good football team and a really tough, hostile environment, and try to play our best? Because we haven’t played our best yet, so we’ve got a lot of work to do.”