Aaron Rodgers' former Packers teammate, David Bakhtiari, threw some good old-fashioned shade at the veteran quarterback this offseason.
What's new at Packers training camp? Another question might be: What isn't?
The relationship between Aaron Rodgers and left tackle David Bakhtiari has appeared to stay intact despite Rodgers' trade to the Jets earlier this summer. Bakhtiari, Rodgers' blindside protector for the last ten years, couldn't help but poke fun at the veteran quarterback in his recent comments on Packers camp.
Out of all the things he could have said about Rodgers, Bakhtiari went for some pretty low-hanging fruit. Right next to the "You're old" lemons, Bakhtiari reached for the "You're not physically fit" grapes.
"Because Aaron is slow as s–t. Now we actually have an athletic quarterback who can move around," Bakhtiari told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler (subscription required).
For context, Bakhtiari was comparing how this year's Packers offense is different from last year's. With a sprier and more athletic quarterback under center in Jordan Love, Green Bay was naturally going to change its offensive scheme to maximize Love's strengths.
Packers' David Bakhtiari takes a playful jab at Aaron Rodgers
If, say, Broncos coach Sean Payton had said the same thing about Rodgers, the Jets would throw hands.
But because it's one of Rodgers' long-time buddies, this kind of thing just gets categorized as playful banter. Bakhtiari is only stating the obvious, anyway. Rodgers isn't some doe-eyed rookie quarterback. His mystique has been unmasked, for the most part.
The Packers legend joined the Jets earlier this summer to serve in a proven stopgap role, helping New York stay as competitive as possible for the next few years. Rodgers isn't getting any younger or any faster, but he doesn't need to be; he has plenty of other redeeming qualities that still make him a top-10 quarterback in the league.
Bakhtiari also mentioned another tidbit about the Packers' offseason: he called this year's training camp "the f—ing best camp I've ever had."
That one may actually hurt Rodgers. With Sean Payton's hateful comments and his critics' incessant judgments, Rodgers has enough bulletin board material to last the rest of his career.