Reports: Packers asking other experts to evaluate Aaron Rodgers, others weighing risk/reward of his return
Aaron Rodgers wants to come back this season and play spoiler. The decision might not be entirely his to make.The Packers’ superstar quarterback had a scan done on his collarbone Monday morning, and the team is reportedly discussing the timeline for when Rodgers could return to the field.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the team and the QB are “at a crossroads” with the decision looming.
Rodgers could be activated this week, by NFL rule, but head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t exactly give an emphatic “YES!” when asked about a possible return.
According to the
Rapoport report, there are “loud and protective voices who wonder if it’s worth putting him on the field to potentially injure himself again for a small chance at a great reward.”
Apparently the Packers team doctor sent those test results to mulitple experts for consultation, which is a common practice in Green Bay, according to the Associated Press. Here’s more from the AP report:
Quote:McKenzie will gather those recommendations, share them with Rodgers and the team’s football braintrust — coach Mike McCarthy, general manager Ted Thompson and vice president of football administration Russ Ball — and then they’ll determine how to proceed.
Whether that means Rodgers plays against the Panthers, or the Packers must continue their unlikely playoff push with backup quarterback Brett Hundley at the helm, hangs in the balance.
“It is now in the evaluation stage,” McCarthy said Monday afternoon during his usual day-after-the-game briefing — a news conference that was anything but typical given the subject matter. “Dr. McKenzie is reviewing it. There’s a number of medical opinions that will be involved in the decision, so at this time I do not have a clean decision for you — or an update. That’s where it stands.”
Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr delivered the blow that broke Rodger’s collarbone, during the Oct. 15 Vikings-Packers game. The QB had surgery four days later, and has teased football fans with on-field warm-up throws, which seemed to indicate that playing this season remained a possibility.
Stay tuned. The Packers — and the NFL and Rodgers and every party involved — will likely want an answer sooner than later.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
