Aaron Rodgers has tested positive for the coronavirus and will not play in the Packers’ game against the Chiefs on Sunday, according to multiple reports Wednesday morning.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network first reported the news, with others adding the detail that Rodgers is unvaccinated, which automatically rules him out for Sunday’s game per the league’s COVID-19 rules.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur confirmed later Wednesday that Rodgers was in the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol. He would not speculate how long Rodgers would be out.
The game will be Green Bay’s second straight while missing players due to COVID-19. Last Thursday against Arizona, the Packers were without wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, as Adams tested positive and Lazard was unvaccinated and deemed a close contact.
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry was also out for the game because of COVID-19.
The fact that Rodgers is not vaccinated against COVID-19 surprised some, since the star quarterback seemed to say the opposite during a press conference on Aug. 26.
“Yeah, I’ve been immunized,” he said after being asked if he had been vaccinated.
“There’s guys on the team that haven’t been vaccinated,” he later added. “I think it’s a personal decision. I’m not going to judge those guys. There are guys that’ve been vaccinated that have contracted COVID. It’s an interesting issue that I think we’re going to see played out the entire season.”
LaFleur would not comment on Rodgers’ Aug. 26 use of the “immunized.”
Backup quarterback Jordan Love is now set to make his first career start. The Packers drafted Love in the first round of the 2020 draft.
The team’s practice squad quarterback, Kurt Benkert, has also tested positive for the coronavirus. If he can’t get cleared for Sunday’s game, the Packers will likely sign a quarterback to back up Love.
NFL officials will be reviewing how the Packers have handled COVID-19 protocols.
The Packers are tied with the best record in the NFC at 7-1 and are on a seven-game winning streak.
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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