Multiple teams have reportedly complained to the NFL’s league offices over the last week after the Green Bay Packers placed their former league MVP and Super Bowl quarterback Aaron Rodgers back on the injury reserve list, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Rodgers displaced his right collarbone in an October loss to the Minnesota Vikings and landed on the IR list as he recovered. The outcry is sparked by a league rule requiring a player to have suffered an injury requiring at least six missed weeks of game action if he's placed on the injury reserve. If the player misses less than six weeks, the team is obligated to cut him once he is deemed healthy.
The Packers appear to have violated this rule when Rodgers was activated for a December 17 game against the Carolina Panthers only to later be removed from that game with shoulder soreness. Green Bay was officially eliminated from playoff contention on December 18 after an Atlanta Falcons’ win. One day later, the Packers placed Rodgers back on injury reserve. To nobody’s surprise, the Packers didn’t cut Rodgers.
“It is why multiple teams raised the issue,” Schefter reported. “Teams wanted to know why the Packers were being granted immunity. The NFL referred all inquiries about the situation to the Packers, who have declined comment. But one source said Rodgers wasn’t going to be medically cleared to play in Green Bay’s next game, and the Packers knew he wasn’t 100 percent.”
Regardless, it’s pretty clear Rodgers won’t play another down during the 2017 season. For a thorough breakdown of the league's obscure rules regarding players on the injury reserve list, read Schefter’s full report at ESPN.
