How Matt LaFleur is handling Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy Packers drama

As far as Matt LaFleur is concerned, the alleged dysfunction between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy should stay exactly where it is: the past.

Addressing Bleacher Report’s recent story, which describes the seemingly broken relationship between the Packers quarterback and his former coach, LaFleur, who was named McCarthy’s replacement in January, said he hasn’t spent much of his energy dissecting the details.

“Honestly, I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into that,” LaFleur said, according to SI.com. “I wasn’t here, so I don’t know what happened. And quite frankly, I don’t really care what happened. All I care about is how we move forward as a football team. All I care about is the partnership that we’re forming, how that goes, and our communication. That’s all I really care about.”

Although Rodgers and McCarthy have denied a rift exists, the face of the Packers franchise refused to answer whether he has spoken with McCarthy since the report was published.

McCarthy, who previously said coaching Rodgers can be “challenging,” praised his former quarterback’s abilities, stating that someone of that caliber is capable of doing more.

“The difficulty in coaching a Hall of Fame quarterback is keeping that connection, the efficiency and the fluency with the other players on offense. They want to do more. They’re capable of doing so much more, but the reality is you have to remember is it’s the coordination of 11 men on every play,” McCarthy told ESPN earlier this month.

LaFleur, who enters his first offseason program as Green Bay’s head coach, is hoping to build solid relationships with the team from the ground up.

“That relationship is critical, and it’s not necessarily because I’m the head coach — it’s because I’m the play-caller,” LaFleur said.

“You have to develop relationships with everyone in that building. But when it comes to Aaron, it’s so critical, because I’m the play-caller. And so anytime you’re the play-caller, you better have a relationship with that quarterback. I do believe this, and I’ve said it from Day One — it’s a partnership.”

LaFleur’s relationship with Rodgers will get its first test Week 1 against the Bears.