After tearing his ACL on a kickoff return against Arizona last year, he played just one moment on offense and eight on special teams this year. He averaged 19.9 yards per punt return and had 10 rushes for 24 yards and one catch for 5 yards in 2021.
The fumble at the end of Rodgers’ punt return against the Cowboys gave Dallas the ball at the Packers 45 and they scored three plays later to take a 7-point lead. The Packers rallied for 14 points to beat the Cowboys, but Rodgers was cut from the point return team in favor of Keisean Nixon.
Rodgers’ muffled punt in the first quarter of the Washington game came after the Packers took a 7–0 lead and held the Commanders to a three-and-out. Washington got the ball at the Packers 17 and finished with a field goal that proved to be the difference in a 23–21 loss.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur and special teams coach Rich Bisaccia were extremely patient with Rodgers as they believed he had the potential to be a very good punt returner. He also fumbled twice and misjudged several kicks in his rookie year, but with the arrival of Bisaccia, he had a new life.
Despite shedding nearly 20 pounds in the off-season, Rodgers never showed the open field running ability that led him to average 13.2 yards per catch on 77 receptions his senior year with Clemson. He also averaged 7.8 yards on 68 point wins in college without a fumble.
