Is Aaron Rodgers to blame for Packers' thin WR corps?
If Aaron Rodgers is going to three-peat as NFL MVP, he'll have to pull it off with one of the league's most unproven wide receiver groups.
The Packers in March surprisingly traded Davante Adams, who's statistically been the best receiver in the league over the last two seasons. Green Bay has since been unable to add anyone even near Adams' level of talent, opting to select receivers with two of their first five picks in the draft and signing veteran Sammy Watkins.
During the Hall of Fame Game between the Raiders and Jaguars on Thursday, NBC announcer Cris Collinsworth revealed that Adams told him Rodgers' uncertain future played a factor in him wanting to go to the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Davante Adams reportedly told Cris Collinsworth that his decision to play for the Raiders was influenced by Aaron Rodgers not being clear about how much longer he'd play. Colin Cowherd reacts to this report, and shares why he thinks Rodgers doesn't understand the power of his own words.
After hearing that, Colin Cowherd pointed blame at Rodgers for the Packers' receiving situation.
"Sometimes, people will say ‘stop picking on this guy,’ or, ‘you never stop talking about this guy,'" Cowherd said on Friday's "The Herd." "… But I will remain someone who talks about Aaron Rodgers a lot, because I do think while he's the back-to-back MVP, he's getting single, rich, older and weird."
Cowherd accused Rodgers of being unaware of how people would respond to his actions, such as lying about his vaccine status, and why it might drive people away from him.
"When you get really rich, and you get single, and you don't have anybody to answer to, everything gets very unbalanced and self-indulgent," Cowherd said. "We're all kind of guessing with Aaron Rodgers. What does the tattoo mean? What do these subtle hints at retirement mean? I don't think Aaron understands. I know Aaron loves to be the smartest guy in the room, but I don't think he understands the power of his own words.
"Remember when he discussed and dismissed vaccines? He was shocked at the blowback. You're Aaron Rodgers."
Rodgers has made some headlines for things he's said and done off the field over the last year. After sharing his anti-vax stance, Rodgers gave an interview with ESPN just days before the Packers' playoff loss to the 49ers, in which he discussed President Joe Biden among other things.
This offseason, Rodgers got his first tattoo, which is full of different astrological designs. He revealed on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast on Wednesday that he took the psychedelic drug ayahuasca prior to the 2020 season, which he claimed helped him improve his self-love.
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Aaron Rodgers admitted that a South American psychedelic drug called ayahuasca has helped him in his back-to-back MVP seasons. Colin Cowherd reacts to Rodgers' admission.
In a more on-field matter, Rodgers said Thursday that he doesn't plan to play until he's 45, like Tom Brady. He also shared in June that he thinks about retirement "all the time."
Cowherd said that as Rodgers is entering a "zen phase," he's becoming a bit too open, telling him "sometimes you've got to keep things to yourself.
"When you're in the present and living in the moment, I and me have to take a backseat to we and us," Cowherd said. "A lot of his comments here are, ‘I got a tattoo, this is what it means to me.’ ‘I took psychedelic drugs because it changed the realm for me.' Power, impact and words matter."
Cowherd said that the Packers share some of the blame, though, for the situation that's been created with Rodgers and the lack of talent in the receiver room.
"Green Bay is lucky to have him," Cowherd said. "They don't have an owner. [Matt] LaFleur's lucky to have him. I still don't know if Matt's a great coach. He's lucky to have Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback. Everybody kind of knows it. Once the Packers whiffed on the Jordan Love pick, it heightened the leverage and the power Aaron has."
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Aaron Rodgers wasn't the only member of the Packers organization to receive a big payday. Green Bay also locked up general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur. Colin Cowherd questions the Packers' decision and then evaluates whether or not LaFleur is a great coach.
However, Cowherd is still pointing his finger at Rodgers for the Packers' receiver situation and how it could be his team's ultimate downfall.
"Sometimes, suck it up," Cowherd said. "Take one for the team. Stop talking, especially about retirement because the Packers have arguably the weakest receiving core in the league. You can't win a Super Bowl in 2022 with the weakest weaponry in the league."