It was 2008 Week one as the Packers and Vikings went head to head in a battle of NFC North rivals. The team went just 6-10 that season, but it was the dawning of a new era as Aaron Rodgers began his career as the Pack starting QB.
Opening night he got his first win as a starter, going 18-for-22 for 178 yards with a score as the Packers won the opener 24-19.
Relive the game with the highlights below!
With minicamp set to start Tuesday, the Packers took care of business with the final unsigned player from their eight-member 2019 draft class, Ryan Wood of Packers News reports.
Tight end Jace Sternberger, the team’s third-round pick, signed his rookie deal Monday, his agent Mike McCartney tweeted. Sternberger, who played college football at Texas A&M, also tweeted pictures of himself signing the contract.
The Packers had an empty roster spot and a hole in the tight end room with the sudden retirement of undrafted free-agent rookie Davis Koppenhaver. And after hosting a workout of tight ends June 3, the club elected to put in a waiver claim on Pharoah McKever after he was waived Friday by Jacksonville.
The Packers were awarded McKever on Monday.
McKever, 25, is 6-6 and 260 pounds. Originally a quarterback in high school, he played wide receiver and defensive end early in his career at North Carolina State before being moved to tight end in 2016. He caught just one ball – an 82-yard touchdown – for the Wolfpack. McKever continued his collegiate development at Florida International, where he played as a graduate transfer in 2017. He caught 27 passes for 301 yards and three scores for the Panthers before going undrafted in 2018.
McKever signed as an undrafted free agent in Pittsburgh but did not make the final cuts in September. He was briefly on the Cleveland Browns practice squad before moving on to the Jacksonville practice squad. He signed a futures contract with the Jaguars at the end of last season.
One of Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite wide outs is coming back to the team – but only for one day.
Pro Football Talk reports that receiver Jordy Nelson will be coming back to the Packers to sign a one-day contract to retire with the green and gold.
Nelson announced his retirement March 27th, two weeks after he was released from Oakland.
There was talk that maybe Rodgers could get Nelson to come back to play for Green Bay, but instead he decided his 11 NFL seasons were enough.
Nelson spent 10 of his 11 NFL seasons with the Packers before he was released and ended up playing one season with the Raiders, catching 63 passes for 739 yards and three touchdowns.
For his career, Nelson made 613 catches for 8,587 yards and 72 touchdowns. He earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2014 and Comeback Player of the Year in 2016 and won a Super Bowl XLV ring.
Nelson will turn 34 this offseason.
After a disappointing first season in Green Bay in which he scored only two touchdowns, Packers tight end Jimmy Graham is looking to bounce back in a big way in 2019 according to Kelly Price of NBC26 in Green Bay.
“Obviously last year was disappointing for everybody. I’m not used to losing. I don’t think anybody here is, you know?” Graham told Price Sunday at his charity cornhole tournament. “And for me, it was not a good year. I’m completely focused on putting my best foot forward and being the player that I am: Scoring in the red zone and being that big threat on third down. I mean, I gotta get back to that. And I take it serious. It’s something that eats at me every single day, not making the playoffs and sometimes not making the plays that I should have. So you better believe I’m gonna be ready.”
The Packers signed Graham last offseason to a two-year, $30 million contract in hopes of ending their yearly revolving door (Martellus Bennett, Jared Cook, etc) at the tight end position. To say that things didn’t go as planned would be an understatement, as the 32-year-old Graham never seemed to establish consistent chemisty with franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers and struggled to gain separation from defenders. There was even talk that the Packers might cut their loss before paying Graham the $5 million roster bonus due in March but the team decided to give the Rodgers/Graham connection another try under new head coach Matt LaFleur.
And it is not like Graham was the only disappointing player in Green Bay in 2018 as a team that was touted in the preseason as a legitimate Super Bowl contender was out of the playoff hunt by midseason. Graham clearly believes things will change in 2019. “I mean we all have our ups and downs,” Graham said. “Obviously there was a lot going on last year for all of us in the building. But all that’s in the past. I know the player that I am and I know I still have juice, I know I still can run. I’m gonna go prove a lot of people wrong.”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon while playing a game of Knockout on a Lambeau basketball court on Wednesday night, Mike Silver of NFL Network reports via Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
LaFleur will undergo surgery Sunday and will coach the rest of OTAs and mandatory minicamp in June (11-13) from a cart, Silver added.
The Packers hired LaFleur after 13 seasons under Mike McCarthy. The injury is the first obstacle the first-time coach must overcome. Despite not necessarily needing full mobility to teach his new offense, for a hands-on coach like LaFleur it’s an issue he must weather this offseason.
Packers legendary Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr died Sunday at the age of 85, according to the team.
The Packers announced Starr, a catalyst of Vince Lombardi’s powerhouse teams of the 1960s, died in Birmingham, Ala., citing his family.
He had been in failing health since suffering a serious stroke in 2014.
“We are saddened to note the passing of our husband, father, grandfather and friend, Bart Starr,” family members said in a statement.
Starr “battled with courage and determination” after a serious stroke in September 2014, but “his most recent illness was too much to overcome,” family members said.
“While he may always be best known for his success as the Packers quarterback for 16 years, his true legacy will always be the respectful manner in which he treated every person he met, his humble demeanor, and his generous spirit,” a statement read.
The Packers selected Starr out of the University of Alabama with the 200th pick in the 1956 draft. He led Green Bay to six division titles, five NFL championships and wins in the first two Super Bowls.
Until Brett Favre came along, Starr was known as the best Packer ever. The team retired his No. 15 jersey in 1973, making him just the third player to receive that honor. Four years later, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Josh Jones, a second-round pick just two years ago, is skipping the Packers’ OTAs because he’s hoping to force a trade, a source told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
Jones has been working out in Florida with a trainer after he left the Packers’ offseason program about a month ago.
The source said Jones, who was the 61st overall pick in the 2017 draft, believes it would be best for both him and the Packers if they parted ways.
Jones has been in and out of the lineup during his two years in Green Bay, starting 12 games over two years. The Packers opened last season with former undrafted rookie Kentrell Brice and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at safety. Even after Clinton-Dix was traded midway through last season, Jones was bypassed for a starting job when the Packers moved Tramon Williams from cornerback to safety. It wasn’t until after Brice sustained an ankle injury in Week 10 that Jones finally got his first start of the season in Week 11.
Jones had originally reported to the Packers for the start of offseason workouts on April 8. The Packers made a significant commitment to the safety position in the offseason when they signed former Chicago Bears safety Adrian Amos to a four-year, $36 million contract in free agency and then used the 21st overall pick in the draft on Maryland safety Darnell Savage Jr.
The source said Jones has asked Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst to let him go or trade him, but to this point, the Packers have not acquiesced.
The Packers have agreed to contract terms with six 2019 NFL Draft choices and 11 rookie free agents.
Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst announced the signings on Friday.
The Packers picked up former Michigan linebacker Rashan Gary with the No. 12 overall pick in the draft. Green Bay also added Maryland safety Darnell Savage Jr. with the No. 21 overall pick in the draft. Both of those players received four-year deals with a fifth-year option.
Green Bay also agreed to terms with fifth round pick and former Texas A&M defensive lineman Kingsley Keke, Ka’dar Hollman (CB, Toledo), Dexter Williams (RB, Notre Dame) and Ty Summers (LB, Texas Christian).
The Packers’ group of undrafted rookie free agent signings includes: Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Bolton, Iowa State wide receiver Matthew Eaton, Colorado cornerback Kabion Ento, Ole Miss cornerback Javien Hamilton, Duke tight end Davis Koppenhaver, Virginia Tech tackle Yosh Nijman, Arkansas linebacker Randy Ramsey, Baylor linebacker Greg Roberts, West Chester cornerback Nydair Rouse, Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins and Oklahoma State guard Larry Williams.
reen Bay also reported for the first day of rookie minicamp on Friday. OTA off-season workouts begin on May 20. The Packers start mandatory minicamp on June 11.
June 11th, 2019 
Matt Loede 
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