Packers Place Aaron Rodgers On IR
As expected, the Packers are placing quarterback Aaron Rodgers on injured reserve. With two games to go and zero chance of making the playoffs, there is no reason for Green Bay to jeopardize his long-term health. 
Rodgers was out for a big chunk of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. With an accelerated rehab program, the quarterback beat out the estimates of many medical professionals and managed to take the field this past weekend against the Panthers. Unfortunately, the 31-24 defeat ended any chance the Packers had at extending their season.
Rodgers is among the game’s best quarterbacks and one of its fiercest competitors. He may be displeased with the team’s decision, but it was the logical call for the Packers to make. Rodgers now has a head start on making a full recovery in advance of next season. The team also removed any possibility that he could aggravate the injury in this season’s final games.
Rodgers’ season ends after just seven games played. Even in that small sample size, Rodgers played like a top quarterback with a 64.7% completion percentage and 16 TDs against six interceptions. With two weeks to go in the regular season, Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the league’s ninth-best QB, ahead of Alex Smith, Philip Rivers, Kirk Cousins, and several other notable names. Remarkably, his solid 84.4 overall score is his worst showing since taking over as the Packers’ full-time signal caller in 2008.
This marks the first time that the Packers have missed the playoffs since the 2008 season.
Aaron Rodgers "Sore" After Packers' Loss
Mike McCarthy appeared to move closer to the prospect the Packers could shut down Aaron Rodgers for the season’s remainder on Monday. The Green Bay HC said Rodgers was sore and the staff is “working through that” after the all-world quarterback’s re-emergence game against the Panthers, and the coach said he would watch the Falcons-Buccaneers game closely Monday night, per Ryan Wood and Michael Cohen of PackersNews.com. The Falcons are currently leading, and that result holding would end the Packers’ eight-season playoff streak tonight. McCarthy being noncommittal about Rodgers’ status after the Week 15 Green Bay loss, coupled with his Monday-night plans, would indicate a possible consideration of giving Rodgers a longer offseason to fully recover and prepare for 2018.
Packers To Re-Sign QB Joe Callahan
The Packers’ active-roster quarterback contingent will stand at three soon. Joe Callahan will return two days after being waived to make room for Aaron Rodgers, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.
Callahan has yet to throw an NFL pass and went unclaimed on waivers, but the Division III product is in his second year with the team and served as Brett Hundley‘s backup while Rodgers recovered.
Considering what transpired on Sunday, the Callahan transaction could be a sign the Packers aren’t going to risk further injury to their franchise player in the two final regular-season games. The Packers lost to the Panthers to drop to 7-7 and would be eliminated from playoff contention if the Falcons defeat the Buccaneers on Monday night. Mike McCarthy didn’t confirm a protective route was in the franchise’s plans just yet, however.
Demovsky, though, notes the Packers view Callahan as a developmental prospect. He remains in the team’s plans despite being waived over the weekend.
Green Bay also worked out two other quarterbacks on Monday, per Demovsky, who notes Matt McGloin and Garrett Fugate auditioned for the team. McGloin has worked out for several teams this season and spent time with two, the Eagles and Texans. Both cut him. A Kansas City, Kan., native, Fugate is a rookie out of Division II Central Missouri.
Latest On Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers returned to the field after a notable two-month absence as he recovered from a broken collarbone he suffered against the Vikings in October. However, even with arguably the best quarterback in football, the Packers dropped their seventh game of the season on Sunday afternoon. With the playoffs now seemingly out of reach, it’s reasonable to ask whether the team will continue to risk Rodgers’ health in the final two weeks of the regular season, ponders Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
Head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t seem all too convicted after today’s loss that he would allow Rodgers to play in Weeks 16 and 17. If the Falcons win on Monday night, the Packers would be eliminated from postseason play and would leave little reason for the coaching staff to risk another injury to their 34-year-old franchise QB.
“Well, let’s focus on today; we lost the game today,” McCarthy said. “We’ll get back and we’ll assess it. We play a game in six days. That’s what we’re focused on.”
Rodgers’ return was not a given after the initial diagnosis was that the veteran signal caller would likely not be able to get back to game action. But after some positive reports on his recovery, the Packers became more hopeful that their star could eventually return and lead them to another playoff berth.
Backup Brett Hundley performed well in stints, but was too inconsistent to leave Green Bay with much room for error in the final three weeks of the season. Although, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope that Rodgers could pull off another miracle as he’s done many times in the past.
“Well, it’s not the fairytale that we were hoping,” Rodgers said about his return. “As I lay in that surgery bed eight weeks ago thinking about this moment, obviously, I saw it going a little differently. But I’m proud of our guys for the way they played the last few weeks. Today, disappointed. I didn’t play very well. Obviously, I hold myself to a high standard. I expected to play well. It’s a good defense but I made too many mistakes. Even still, we had a chance there at the end to come back and tie it.”
Despite the lack of playoff implications, Rodgers seemed as if he would still play unless told otherwise. With that being said, the veteran appeared to still put his status in the hands of the Packers coaching staff.
“Well, I’m a competitor,” Rodgers said. “Until they tell me otherwise, I’m expecting to play.”
Green Bay will take on the Vikings and Lions in the team’s likely final two games of the year.
Packers Activate Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers absolutely will return to action on Sunday against the Panthers. The Packers moved their starting quarterback onto their 53-man roster on Saturday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
To make room, the Packers slashed their quarterback contingent back to two by cutting Joe Callahan. A second-year passer, Callahan resided on Green Bay’s taxi squad before Rodgers’ injury made him the primary backup to Brett Hundley.
Rodgers spent the eight weeks on IR, the NFL-mandated minimum, and earlier this week announced he was medically cleared. The Packers probably aren’t in position to make this move without their overtime victories against the Buccaneers and Browns. The Panthers are likely to see a different version of the Packers, a team picked by some to advance to Super Bowl LII before the season.
Green Bay sits one game behind the No. 6 wild-card spot in a crowded NFC race. And winning out won’t be easy. Although, it would have been next to impossible without Rodgers’ return. The Packers follow their trip to Charlotte with a home game against the Vikings and a trip to Detroit.
The Packers cutting Callahan indicates a degree of confidence in Rodgers’ health. Callahan will have to pass through waivers to make it back to Green Bay’s practice squad, if that is the move the franchise is trying to make. The Division III product has yet to take an NFL snap.
Rodgers was leading the NFL with his 13 touchdown passes at the time he went down early in Week 6. The two-time MVP led the Packers from 4-6 to the NFC championship game last season. He’ll have a chance to potentially do that again, only this year the team will not be gunning for an NFC North title and instead will need wild-card help to reach the postseason.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/14/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Green Bay Packers
- DB Alex Carter (link)
Minnesota Vikings
- TEs Sam Cotton, Steve Donatell (link)
New England Patriots
- LB Kacy Rodgers; DBs Chandler Fenner, Jonathon Mincy (link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
Oakland Raiders
- DEs Johnny Maxey, Arthur Miley; DT Toby Johnson (link)
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Carlton Agudosi
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: S Robenson Therezie
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Laurence Gibson, OL Ian Silberman
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Colby Pearson
Houston Texans
- Signed: S Ibraheim Campbell
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Kolby Listenbee
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: CB Marcus Sayles
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE Joby Saint Fleur
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Jason Thompson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Jerome Cunningham
Giants Eyeing Eliot Wolf, Nick Caserio For GM
Although former Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman is considered the favorite for the Giants’ GM position, the club also has other candidates in mind. Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf and Patriots vice president of player personnel Nick Caserio are on New York’s radar as it seeks to replace Jerry Reese, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
[RELATED: Giants To Begin GM Interviews Next Week]
Wolf, 35, has long been considered a future general manager, but never actually interviewed for an opening until this year (partially because Green Bay denied permission for him to meet with Philadelphia and Detroit in recent hiring cycles). Although he was viewed as a strong contender for the 49ers’ GM job this offseason, Wolf ultimately accepted a new contract with the Packers. He subsequently interviewed with the Colts.
Caserio, who has spent the entirety of his 17-year NFL career in New England, has been linked to other vacancies in the past, but has never shown much willingness to leave Foxborough. Since 2014, he’s declined an offer from the Dolphins and an interview from the 49ers in order to remain with the Patriots. However, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com recently indicated Caserio is “willing to listen” to general manager proposals, and noted the Giants job could hold particular interest.
Each of the candidates for the New York gig could have potential head coaches in mind: a source tells Florio that Gettleman or Wolf could attempt to hire Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, while Caserio could unsurprisingly look at Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/12/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Carolina Panthers
- WRs Jordan Leslie; T Josh James; G Kaleb Johnson; DE Joby Saint Fleur; S Shamiel Gary (link)
Chicago Bears
- DE Tavaris Barnes; P Alex Knight (Twitter links)
Cincinnati Bengals
- WR Diontae Spencer; TE A.C. Leonard; CBs Jonathon Mincy, Loucheiz Purifoy; S Kenny Ladler (link)
Cleveland Browns
- WRs Kolby Listenbee, Paul Turner; G Ian Silberman (link)
Green Bay Packers
- LB Nigel Harris; DBs Donte Carey, Malik Golden, Stefan McClure, Zack Richardson (link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
Houston Texans
- T Taylor Hart; CB Dexter McDougle; Ss Trey Caldwell, Ibraheim Campbell (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- QBs Tyler Ferguson, Joel Stave; WRs Corey Brown, Seantavius Jones, Justice Liggins, Kolby Listenbee, Daniel Williams; TE Joe Sommers (Twitter links)
Kansas City Chiefs
- T Storm Norton; G Blake Muir; LB Jayrone Elliott; S Kelcie McCray (Twitter links)
New York Jets
- QBs Mike Bercovici, Connor Shaw; WR DaVaris Daniels, Kolby Listenbee, Tevaun Smith; LBs Jeff Knox, Kacy Rodgers; CBs Jonathon Mincy, Garry Peters, Shaq Richardson; DBs Chris Ackie, Kenny Ladler, Jonathan Rose (all Twitter links)
San Francisco 49ers
- T Khalif Barnes (link)
Packers’ Aaron Rodgers Medically Cleared
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been medically cleared in time for Week 15, as Rodgers himself indicated on Instagram. Green Bay hasn’t yet activated Rodgers for Sunday’s game against the Panthers, but that formal transaction will likely be made in the near future.
Nearly every report from Green Bay had indicated Rodgers was progressing extremely well in his recovery from a broken collarbone, but his clearance was not a foregone conclusion. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier today, the Packers’ medical staff uses an abundance of caution with respect to injuries, so although Rodgers was pushing to play this weekend, the club wanted to ensure his long-term health.
Now that he has returned, Rodgers not only offers a boost to the Packers’ postseason chances, but reshapes the NFC playoff picture as a whole. Given the strength of the NFC, there’s no guarantee Green Bay will earn a postseason berth even if it wins out to finish with a 10-6 record. But two consecutive victories with backups signal-caller Brett Hundley under center have given the Packers a fighting chance, and Rodgers certainly has the All Pro ability to push Green Bay into the playoffs.
The Packers will face three NFC opponents — the Panthers, Vikings, and Lions — over the next three weeks, and they’ll likely need to win each of those contests in order to secure a playoff slot.