Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Friday he's enjoyed the NFL experience more since he's gone to South America for ayahuasca retreats.

Rodgers discussed the self-love that's emerged from the plant-based psychedelic treatment, and how that's parlayed into his locker room relationships on the Pat McAfee Show:

"I've been really enjoying football since I did ayahuasca.. the locker room is where the chemistry takes place" ~@AaronRodgers12#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/vhKosTUZWh

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 2, 2022

In August, the four-time NFL MVP told NBC Sports' Peter King he's taken two trips to Peru, first in 2020 and then again this offseason, for what he described as a "beautiful experience."

Ayahuasca includes the ingredient N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is a Schedule I drug under United States law, but it's not listed as a prohibited substance or a performance-enhancing drug by the NFL, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

League spokesperson Brian McCarthy confirmed to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Rodgers wouldn't face punishment for ayahuasca use.

The 38-year-old Cal product's play on the field has set the standard at the sport's most important position over the past two years. He's compiled a remarkable 85-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio while helping lead the Packers to a 26-7 record.

There are questions about how Green Bay's offense will perform following the departure of wide receiver Davante Adams, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in March, but having the future Hall of Fame quarterback at the helm lowers the level of concern.

Rodgers and the Packers kick off the new campaign Sept. 11 when they visit U.S. Bank Stadium to battle the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings.

Fantasy owners, listen up: Matt LaFleur is pumping the brakes on Allen Lazard's potential breakout season.

"I don't think anybody's clear cut in front of the other guy. I think it's gonna be very much the ball's gonna get spread around and we're gonna try to feature different guys in different spots," LaFleur told reporters Wednesday when speaking about the Packers' wide receiving corps.

Lazard has been hyped throughout the offseason as a potential replacement for Davante Adams as Aaron Rodgers' top receiver. It seems LaFleur will have a more egalitarian approach to targets, though it's a near-certainty one player will stand above the rest as Rodgers' favorite.

Lazard has been hyped throughout the offseason as a potential replacement for Davante Adams as Aaron Rodgers' top receiver. It seems LaFleur will have a more egalitarian approach to targets, though it's a near-certainty one player will stand above the rest as Rodgers' favorite.

In all but one season since 2013, Rodgers' top option has gotten more than 120 targets and has topped the 150-target mark four times. (The lone exception came during Rodgers' injury-plagued 2017 campaign.)

Even if Lazard winds up on the lower end of that spectrum, he will still provide value from a fantasy perspective. He's being picked as WR43 in fantasy drafts, which is way too low for the default top target in a prolific offense.

The Packers drafted Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs to help fill out the receiving corps, but it's hard to believe the notorious perfectionist Rodgers will have much patience for the hiccups of the younger players.

Someone is going to emerge as the trusted No. 1 target; smart money remains on Lazard, even if LaFleur is taking the hose to his rising draft stock.

Aaron Rodgers has become known for his unconventional approach to healing and recovery.

On the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the Green Bay Packers star quarterback explained how past experiences have influenced him not to rely on prescribed pain medications and instead seek out natural healing methods.

"I just don't understand why there isn't more natural options looked into that are out there that have research behind it, and we're still pushing the same you know Percocet, Vicodin, [Oxycodone] if you have pain," Rodgers said. "I saw at one point a teammate of mine who was unable to get treatment on a post-surgical operation without being put under anesthesia because of an addiction to pain medicine."

Rodgers went on to say he's watched former teammates struggle with drug addiction for quite some time.

"I know of multiple teammates over the years—I'm talking about in high school, college and pros—who have dealt with their own relapses around addiction to pain pills," Rodgers added.

During the extensive talk on the podcast, Rodgers also criticized the NFL for how "easily accessible" painkillers used to be and even said he played in a game while on Percocet. He said his use of the pain medicine was "more for pain management, so I wasn't taking any high dosage, but stupid, ultimately."

In 2018, Rodgers was scrutinized for his demeanor in a post-game interview after he came back from what appeared to be a significant knee injury suffered before halftime. He denied back then that his body language seemed "off" during that instance because he was on painkillers.

Earlier this month, Rodgers spoke about his experiences using the hallucinogenic drink ayahuasca during this offseason and once before in 2020. He told NBC Sports' Peter King that "a lot of healing went on" and described it as a life-changing experience. The NFL said he didn't violate the league's drug policy for his use of ayahuasca, which is defined as "a psychoactive beverage native to South America and is often used for religious, ritualistic or medicinal purposes."

Rodgers and the Packers will open the 2022 season Sept. 11 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers criticized the NFL's stance on natural remedies for pain management, saying highly addictive painkillers used to be "easily accessible" and admitting to playing a game on Percocet.

"The pain management, especially with our sport, is fascinating to see how things are 'treated.' I use quotations on treated because, up until probably a decade ago, it was easily accessible to get oxy, Percocet, Vicodin, whatever you wanted. ... you played [on painkillers], definitely," Rodgers said on the Joe Rogan Experience (39-minute mark).

"[I played] on Percocet. It was more for pain management, so I wasn't taking any high dosage, but stupid, ultimately. Here's the thing: I had knee issues for a long time, and you take anti-inflammatories. You're taking anti-inflammatories, they all come with a warning: If you take this more than a few weeks, you've gotta get your blood tested because it can do damage to your liver. There are so many things you can take now, anti-inflammatory things, that are natural, that don't cause damage to your body."

Rodgers went on to say the NFL has done a better job of monitoring the use of addictive painkillers over the last decade but expressed frustration that CBD and other natural remedies are "frowned upon."

"It's ass backwards, the whole treatment of professional athletes—definitely in our sport, that we're still giving out that stuff," Rodgers said.

The reigning NFL MVP has been an increasing public proponent of natural medicine. He took flak last season for famously misleading journalists by saying he was "immunized" for COVID-19 when he had not taken a vaccine. When it became public knowledge that Rodgers was unvaccinated, he said he sought alternative treatments.

Rodgers credited his brilliant performance for the last two seasons to his use of ayahuasca, a psychedelic tea that is illegal in the United States. The NFL has said it has no plans on punishing Rodgers for his use of the drug.

Prescription painkiller abuse has been a long-running topic across the NFL, with journalists uncovering a past of the highly addictive substances often being given away without a medical purpose. The NFL cracked down amid those investigative reports, but that came after decades of career-altering penalties handed down for marijuana, a drug with far fewer long-term side effects.

The most recent NFL collective bargaining agreement ended suspensions for positive tests for marijuana.

The NFL pledged a $1 million grant in February into the study of cannabis and CBS for pain management. Despite that pledge, the NFL still technically bans the use of CBD and marijuana.

Aaron Rodgers isn't leaving his perch as the Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback any time soon, but he's been impressed with backup Jordan Love's progress.

Rodgers called Love a "master" of the Packers offense following a solid showing from the Utah State product in Thursday's preseason finale.

“I’m always harping on the little things,” Rodgers said on the Packers' TV broadcast. “The reads and stuff, just understanding the offense. I think he’s definitely become a master of the offense. But it’s just the little things that are really going to help him level up, and a lot of it is footwork and little things like arm angles on run action, his keeper fakes, his hard-action fakes, his run solutions and RPO game, helping to marry up with the running game. That’s what I like seeing.”

Love, a 2020 first-round pick, has not often looked the part in his limited NFL action. He was overwhelmed in a Week 9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last season, and he opened his 2022 preseason with three interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers.

While the jury is still out on whether Love is a viable NFL starter, he has shown more decisiveness with his passes and an increased comfort in Matt LaFleur's offensive system.

“I thought there was a lot of good things out there,” LaFleur said. “I always look at the numbers at the end of it and go, ‘That doesn’t make sense.’ I thought he did a lot of good things. We’ll take a look at the tape. I’m sure there’s always something you can clean up.”

At the least, the Packers have found a quarterback both Rodgers and LaFleur are comfortable with serving as a backup. On the other hand, it's difficult to envision a scenario in which the Packers pick up their fifth-year option on Love next spring.

Given all of the headaches the decision to draft him caused, it's probably a move the team would take back in hindsight.

Aaron Rodgers' frustrations over how his new-look wide receiver corps disappointed during the Green Bay Packers' ongoing practice sessions bubbled to the surface after a few weeks of training camp.

"The young guys, especially young receivers, we've got to be way more consistent," Rodgers told reporters Tuesday. "A lot of drops, a lot of bad route decisions, running the wrong route. We've got to get better in that area."

Trust plays a major role in the success of the four-time league MVP. All quarterbacks must have faith their receivers will be in the right spots in the offensive structure. Rodgers is often more demanding than a typical quarterback since he's willing to publicly admonish his pass-catchers.

But the young wide receivers he's criticizing in training camp are his best chance of reaching another Super Bowl. Development takes time.

"You keep dropping the ball, you're not going to be out there," Rodgers stated. "It's going to be the most reliable guys that are out there. The preparation and the job responsibility is most important. There's going to be physical mistakes, like we've talked about, but if you're going out there and dropping the ball and somebody else behind you is in the right spot all the time and catching the ball, that guy's going to play."

Davante Adams isn't coming back after being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Rodgers can't play Linus anymore and carry his security blanket wherever he goes. Yet the 169 targets that went to the game's best wide receiver last year must go somewhere this season.

The Packers' wide receiver room isn't littered with older, established veterans. Aside from a 31-year-old Randall Cobb, there's Sammy Watkins, who is now 29. But the eight-year veteran hasn't played a full slate of games since his rookie campaign thanks to multiple injuries. Allen Lazard, Amari Rodgers, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are 26, 22, 23 and 22, respectively. The latter two are rookies, while Lazard and Rodgers have yet to serve as a focal point.

Unless the Packers decide to sign Odell Beckham Jr.—who won't be ready for the start of the regular season thanks to an ACL injury—Cole Beasley, T.Y. Hilton or Will Fuller V, they aren't getting extra help at wide receiver. Even those veteran options are suspect based on where they're at in their careers.

Everything falls on the current group, which has significant potential, growing into their roles and Rodgers having the patience to oversee their advancement without getting overly frustrated along the way.

"The greatest gift I can give my teammates, in my opinion, is to be able to show up and to be someone who can model unconditional love to them," Rodgers said during an interview on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast (h/t MSN's Nina Zdinjak). "They won't care about what you say until they know how much you care."

And the young players know they need to be better.

"The offense is growing," Lazard said. "It's coming along and everything. We had a lot of false starts, a lot of missed signals and stuff like that today, which is not the standard that we've had, especially in recent history. So I think there's a lot to improve on from that standpoint. But overall, I thought we did well."

This crop also brings legitimate tools to the table.

Lazard is taking over as the team's WR1 after finishing last season with 40 receptions for 513 yards and eight scores. How do we know? Because Rodgers said so. The 38-year-old quarterback also called Lazard a "premier slot receiver in the league," per the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Ryan Wood. As Zach Kruse of Packers Wire noted, Lazard finished second overall last season with a 145.2 passer rating when targeted from the slot.

The 6'5", 227-pound Lazard fits the new trend of power slot receivers who aren't the traditional shifty targets. They have the size to overwhelm nickelbacks while also contributing as essential blockers as part of the run scheme.

On the outside, Doubs has been the talk of camp. This year's 132nd overall pick proves he's a downfield threat with each and every practice. Prior to this year's draft, Nate Tice of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department summed up exactly what the Packers have seen from Doubs during training camp:

"Nevada's offense utilized him most on vertically stemmed routes from the outside, and he is best working north and south, as he has average lateral quickness and doesn't consistently make defenders miss in a phone booth.

"Doubs flashes good burst and balance with the ball in his hands to split defenders on screens and intermediate throws. He has good catching range where his body control is highlighted and is able to consistently make catches on throws at all angles away from his body.

"However, Doubs does have concentration drops crop up on throws at his body and in a crowd."

As good as the fourth-round pick has been at getting over the top of defenders and making tough catches, drops can still be an issue. Those must be cleaned up so they don't occur during games that matter. It's clear, however, that Rodgers is excited about what Doubs brings to the offense.

Two weeks ago, according to Peter Bukowski of Locked on Packers, the signal-caller suggested "the only WRs who made as many 'wow' plays early in camp as Romeo Doubs wound up 'in the top 10 in Packers receiving history.'"

Amari Rodgers, meanwhile, barely played as a rookie after being a third-round pick. He caught only four passes in 16 games, and his primary contributions came on special teams. He's ready for more this season and got in better shape to provide a spark.

Per Associated Press writer Steve Megargee for the Merced Sun-Star, the 5'9" wideout is down 16 pounds since the start of the offseason program and now weighs 202.

"I can run for a longer time and not feel tired and not feel tight," Rodgers said. "I can go out there and really just run all day, and that's what you want to be."

The second-year receiver can be used in a variety of manners in and out of the backfield because he's always been strong after the catch and creating in space.

Christian Watson is the X-factor.

The Packers traded up to acquire the physical marvel in this year's second round. This year's 34th overall pick posted the 12th-best relative athletic score among wide receivers over the last 35 years, according to Pro Football Network's Kent Lee Platte.

He's a 6'5", 208-pound target with 4.36-second 40-yard-dash speed and a 38 ½-inch vertical. He's a raw mound of malleable clay, though, especially after missing a portion of training camp with a knee injury.

"Christian, he's going to be a work in progress," Aaron Rodgers said. "It's good to see him out there, good to get him through the walkthroughs. I told him I'm going to be testing him every single day in the reps that he's in there to try and get him thinking about the right stuff when he's out there ... So it's encouraging because—what do we got, four weeks till first game or so—I think all of them might have a legitimate opportunity to play."

Watson's size and athleticism coupled with Doubs working outside of the numbers to help Watkins—while Lazard is paired with Cobb and Amari Rodgers to work the middle of the field—gives Aaron Rodgers options. He must be willing to distribute the ball, even if mistakes occur along the way.

An Adams-like receiver isn't on the roster to demand the bulk of the targets. The group is young with significant upside. Rodgers must understand the position is in transition and use those around him to their fullest.

"I think I just fell back in love with football the last few years. It's due to a mindset but also the people. I really do," he told NBC Sports' Peter King. " ... All the people who make this thing so fun. I love people. I love my teammates so much. I love the opportunity to do this."

A demanding personality doesn't automatically equate to tough love. Rodgers can help in the process as others potentially blossom around him.

If he doesn't, the Packers offense won't be nearly as effective and the future Hall of Famer can kiss any chance of another Super Bowl appearance goodbye as he leaves the game to continue his own journey.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers offered some public constructive criticism of the team's young wideouts on Tuesday.

Aaron Rodgers didn’t hold back on wanting more from his young receivers: “We’ve got to be way more consistent. A lot of drops, a lot of bad route decisions, running the wrong route. We’ve got to get better in that area.”

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 16, 2022

One day later, Rodgers was among a group that met with the wideouts in the quarterback meeting room to discuss some issues.

"It was just really giving us advice," rookie receiver Samori Toure said, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "Basically, letting us know that the Green Bay receiving corps has always been held to a super-high standard. All the legends who have been through here. It's just about us carrying on that standard and stepping up."

Rookie receiver Romeo Doubs also spoke about what Rodgers said.

"Aaron spoke to us about what he likes or whatnot just based on concepts or what he sees," Doubs noted. "He just wants us to see what he sees, so then that way we can be able to react faster, play faster and just be able to dominate and continue to be who we are."

All three Packers quarterbacks and key members of the offensive staff attended the meeting, per Demovsky. Rodgers did not call for the meeting, but he did much of the talking during the session.

Rodgers is largely used to playing with longtime Packers veterans at wideout over the years, such as Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams.

While Cobb is still a Packer, Green Bay's ex-No. 1 wideout in Adams has been traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Allen Lazard, who is entering his fourth NFL season, is set to take over as the No. 1 wide receiver. The Packers also added veteran Sammy Watkins.

But there's plenty of youth and inexperience in the wideout room with some rookies (Toure, Doubs, Christian Watson, Danny Davis), a second-year pro (Amari Rodgers) and a four-year vet in Juwann Winfree, who has played just 12 games in his first three seasons.

The Packers will ultimately have to regroup at the position after losing a target monster in Adams, who had 123 catches for 1,553 yards and 11 scores last year.

Ultimately, members of the Packers' passing attack still have time to get on the same page more consistently. The team has two more preseason games left and about four weeks of practice remaining before it opens the season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 11.

Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers foresees a healthy split between running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon in the passing game.

Rodgers told reporters Tuesday it's "very realistic" that Jones and Dillon could see 50 targets each in 2022.

"We have runs to both of them, we have swing passes to them, we have screens, we have down-the-field stuff, we have action stuff, we have scat protection, we have six-man, seven-man protection stuff," he said. "There's a lot in the offense for those two guys."

Jones had 49 catches in 2019 and hit 52 in 2021. Dillon has seen a massive jump in his usage, going from 48 total touches as a rookie in 2020 to 221 touches in his second year. He hauled in 34 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns last season.

The Packers have yet to make a headline-grabbing addition to account for the departure of Davante Adams, who went to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. They signed Sammy Watkins and selected three wideouts (Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure) in the 2022 NFL draft.

Rather than having any one player replace Adams, it looks like head coach Matt LaFleur is counting on everybody to help pick up the slack. Because of that, you can certainly picture both Jones and Dillon occupying big roles in the passing game.

That would have clear fantasy football implications.

Fantasy managers with Jones on their roster will be a bit concerned about Dillon potentially taking more of the spotlight away from the 2020 Pro Bowler. Maybe he slips further from the upper tier of the RB1 category.

With Dillon, you're left to wonder whether he can see even more of the ball and build upon his encouraging 2021 campaign. Per FantasyPros, he has an average draft position of 53rd in standard drafts.

It might turn out that the fears surrounding both players are overblown if they can be the kind of pass-catchers Rodgers is expecting.