The Green Bay Packers officially pulled the plug on the Amari Rodgers experiment.
The Packers announced they released the wide receiver Tuesday.
"That one hurts a lot, just in terms of, because I know how much this meant to him and he did everything we asked him to do," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Tuesday. "He was a great teammate. He worked his tail off. You could see him really growing and just in terms of overall knowledge, but you know, we are in a production-based business and, you know, it's unfortunate. It truly is. I feel for him. He's a guy I got a lot of respect for and care for deeply, and I'm confident he's going to get another shot. Sometimes that's the best thing for guys in this league is you go through a little adversity get a fresh start somewhere else, and I wish him nothing but the best."
Rodgers has struggled mightily as a punt returner, fumbling four times on the season, including a key botch in Sunday’s overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Keisean Nixon replaced Rodgers as the punt returner after Sunday's fumble.
It's one thing for Green Bay to take away the punt-returning duties or inactivate Rodgers. However, it's an entirely different story for the Packers to outright release the former third-round pick midway through his second season with the club.
Rodgers has struggled to see the field on offense, generating just eight catches for 95 yards in 26 games with the Packers.
The Packers pride themselves on drafting and developing talent. General manager Brian Gutekunst's jettisoning of Rodgers midway through his second season speaks volumes about where the No. 85 overall pick in 2021 was in the pecking order. While it's not likely to change the season for 4-6 Green Bay, it's an admission the club botched the selection and didn't see any development on the horizon from the Clemson product. It's a rare move for the ordinarily patient Packers front office.
Green Bay also cut 2021 seventh-round running back Kylin Hill on Tuesday. The team also signed veteran WR Dede Westbrook to the practice squad in the wake of Rodgers' release.
