The relationship between Packers star Aaron Rodgers and former head coach Mike McCarthy was described by one unnamed teammate as “a large cancer in the locker room,” ultimately resulting in the latter’s firing near the end of the team’s second consecutive losing season.
Rodgers was painted by former teammates and team executives — in a deep-dive story from Bleacher Report — as having problems with McCarthy from the day he was hired in 2006, and despite several years of success together, openly undermining his coach’s play calls as his star status rose in Green Bay.
“Aaron’s always had a chip on his shoulder with Mike,” former Packers running back Ryan Grant said. “The guy who ended up becoming your coach passed on you (in the draft) when he had a chance. Aaron was upset that Mike passed on him — that Mike actually verbally said that Alex Smith was a better quarterback.”
McCarthy was the offensive coordinator with San Francisco when the 49ers made Smith the No. 1 selection in the 2005 draft, with Rodgers plummeting deep into the first round before the Packers nabbed him with the 24th pick as the planned successor to Brett Favre.
Under McCarthy, Rodgers went on to become the highest-rated quarterback in NFL history (103.1) — and for a time the highest-paid player in the game with a contract worth up to $180 million — while leading the Packers to the 2010 Super Bowl title.
Still, one source close to Rodgers told Bleacher Report that the two-time MVP thought McCarthy “has one of the lowest IQs, if not the lowest IQ, of any coach he’s ever had,” leading him to question gameplans and often overrule his coach’s play calls.
“A-Rod wants his. He wants to eat. He cares about his yards, his completions. He’s going to have a hard time,” former Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley said of Rodgers. “That’s like an addict. You tell an addict to change his ways when he’s been stuck in his ways so long. I think it’s going to be very tough. I thought he’d be able to grow out of it, but, s–t, you give a guy more money, there’s more attitude, more diva-ness.”
When McCarthy was fired in December, the Packers were 4-7-1 on their way to a 6-9-1 finish, completing their first consecutive losing seasons since 1990-91.
One person described as a source close to the team said Rodgers “f–ked McCarthy over. Aaron undermined him.” And Finley thought McCarthy simply looked “fed up and washed up. Just tired, period,” by the end of his tenure.
“When something gets stale, you’re not as motivated,” former wide receiver Greg Jennings added. “You’re not as invested. Because even though you want to perform well, you’re still out to prove, ‘I told you so.’ There’s a fine line of saying, ‘Was (Rodgers) purposely doing things?’ or, ‘Was it just McCarthy?’ Because it had been so successful before, it’s hard to just say it was all McCarthy and none of Aaron. …
“Is it enough for him to say, ‘You know what, I’m going to have a record-breaking year that’s eventually going to keep McCarthy for another year.’ Is he willing to do that? I don’t think so. Just because change happens doesn’t mean the problem still doesn’t exist.”
Tennessee offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur was hired as McCarthy’s successor in January.