In Monday's OTA practice open to the media inside the Don Hutson Center, Rodgers could be seen chatting with rookie receiver Trevor Davis after the two misconnected on a route.

Walking the leadership line between scolding a teammate and delivering constructive criticism, Rodgers got his point across to Davis. The veteran QB believes he has to maximize his time, even in early June, with any players who might make a difference on offense this coming season.

"You have to test it out and see how they respond," Rodgers said. "You talk to 'em and you lead 'em and you get on 'em. Like I would tell him, I'm only going to get on somebody I care about and I think can be a player. I'm not going to waste my time, unless I believe in a guy, and I believe in those young guys. I want them to come along.

"We have to get these guys up to speed quickly."

There's more of an onus on the young players to study and prepare on their own now because of reduced offseason workout time, but it's just as important to make the most of on-field work before rookies like Davis get to their first pro training camp.

"When this thing ends here next week and we come back in six weeks, there won't be any grace period," Rodgers said. "It's going to be 100 miles an hour, running our offense, and guys need to come back ready to play."

Rodgers came back this offseason ready for now and the long haul. Cutting dairy out and transitioning to more of a vegan diet (with the occasional meat exception), Rodgers said he's lighter now – in the 218-pound range – than he's been since 2007, before he was a starter.



The impetus for the nutrition change was two-fold. Following knee surgery right after the 2015 season, he wanted to be careful of eating foods that could cause inflammation. He also did his own research and spoke with team nutritionist Adam Korzun and friends around the league about how he can keep his game at a top level for as long as possible.