Aaron Rodgers: Packers making mistakes 'shouldn't be playing'

Aaron Rodgers has been transparent with his feelings regarding the Green Bay Packers this season. And he took his commentary to a new level on Tuesday.

Green Bay (3-4) has underwhelmed this season. They're tied for second in the NFC North, 2.5 games behind the Minnesota Vikings, who they lost to in Week 1. The Packers have now lost three consecutive games to teams that missed the playoffs last season (New York Giants, New York Jets and Washington Commanders), albeit the Giants and Jets are a combined 11-3 this season.

Rodgers made his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday, and after saying that the Packers taking ownership of the product on the field will help them pick up speed, Rodgers said that players who are "making too many mistakes shouldn't be playing."

"It's definitely not just one play here and there," Rodgers said. "Like I said, it's 20 percent of the time. If we have 50 plays, and we have 10 mental missed assignments and mental errors, that's 20 percent of the time. So, that's way too high. In the past, we're looking more like at less than 10 percent, so it gives us a really good chance to be successful. Twenty percent, that's too high. That's one play a series where you're really making it tough on yourself, so we got to fix that. 

"And whatever that is, I think guys who are making too many mistakes shouldn't be playing. We gotta start cutting some reps. And maybe guys who aren't playing, give them a chance."

The Packers have been middle of the pack across the board on offense this season. They're averaging 221.3 passing yards (17th in NFL), 110.3 rushing yards (18th), 331.6 total yards (20th) and 18.3 points (23rd). Rodgers has registered 1,597 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns, three interceptions and a 94.9 quarterback rating, completing 66.8% of his passes. 

Green Bay's wide receiving core was altered in the offseason, with the franchise trading No. 1 wideout Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. Allen Lazard, who is questionable for the team's Week 8 road matchup against the Buffalo Bills with a shoulder injury, has been the Packers' most productive receiver this season with 26 receptions, 340 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. 

Rookie Romeo Doubs is their only other wide receiver with a receiving touchdown (two) this season.

FOX Sports NFL analyst and a former teammate of Rodgers Greg Jennings contended on Tuesday's edition of "First Things First" that Rodgers can't criticize his teammates in this manner and that his comments are also a criticism of head coach Matt LaFleur in disguise.

"He can't do this," Jennings said. "I understand they're having problems, and he's playing with a lot of frustration with the guys around him, specifically at the wide receiver position, but you can't sit down on a show and start talking about who should and shouldn't be playing because of mental errors. You can't do that. 

" … What you're saying is you need to obviously start cutting guys' reps, but also, 'Matt LaFleur, you're not doing your job, either.'"

Rodgers, 38, has won back-to-back NFL MVPs and signed a new three-year, $150.8 million contract with the Packers this past offseason.