Packers have `one plan' — with Rodgers or Love

Green Bay Packers coach Matt Lafleur has a plan in place for training camp next month — regardless of whether reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers or fellow quarterback Jordan Love is under centre.

“We'll have one plan,” Lafleur said Thursday. “We've pretty much laid that out. Just kind of going to fine-tune some things over the next few weeks. Just in terms of logistics of our schedule and whatnot. We've got what we feel is a pretty good blueprint in terms of how to get our guys ready to play.”

With Rodgers and the Packers entangled in a tense stalemate, second-year quarterback Love has taken the majority of snaps in organized tram activities and last week at mini-camp.

“It's the same message it's been all the time is you're only one play away, so you always have to prepare like you're the starter,” Lafleur said. “And just to be very intentional about the work that you put in, to go out there with a purpose. To be mindful and in the moment. Every rep for him is so critical, whether it's on air, on his own or it's with us in 11-on-11 situations and he's getting that constant coaching. And I think he's done a great job of embracing just the whole situation, embracing learning from every rep.”

Rodgers, 37, has played with the Packers for his entire 16-year career. He has passed for 51,245 yards and 412 touchdowns, and he won a Super Bowl ring with the franchise at the end of the 2010 season.

Love was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft by Green Bay, a move that didn't sit well with Rodgers. Rodgers wanted offensive help that could contribute right away and definitely wasn't expecting the team to select his potential replacement.

Rodgers seemed motivated by the situation and had a stellar season that included a career-best 48 touchdown passes along with 4,299 yards and just five interceptions, helping the Packers reach the NFC title game and earning his third league MVP award.

Tom Brady has been getting

the better of Father Time over the past few seasons.

With that said, the 43-year-old quarterback recently was asked if he could play until he's 50. That number came up courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, who said last month that if Brady “wants to play till he's 50 and he's still playing and he feels like he can still play, then he'll play until he's 50.”

Brady, however, said he has his doubts about that.

“Fifty? That's a long time. Even for me, that's a long time,” Brady told USA Today in advance of his 22nd NFL season. “I've always said 45 was the age that I wanted to reach and that was my goal. This year I'll be 44, so next year I'll be 45. I got a two-year contract.

“I'm going to be able to obviously play this year and God forbid anything happens, but play next year and then see what happens after that. If I still want to keep playing, I might be able to do that. And if that's enough, then that would be enough.”

Brady, who turns 44 on Aug. 3, won his seventh Super Bowl title in February while playing in his first season with the Buccaneers after 20 with the New England Patriots. He threw three touchdown passes in Tampa Bay 's 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl MVP honours for the fifth time.

Brady threw for 4,633 yards last season and tossed a team-record 40 touchdown passes, the second-highest total in a single season in his career.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed wide

receiver Laquon Treadwell to a contract on Friday.

Treadwell, 26, has endured a slow start to his NFL career since being selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 23rd overall pick of the 2016 draft. He has recorded 71 receptions for 750 yards and four touchdowns in 58 career games with the Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.

Treadwell caught six passes for 49 yards and a career-best two scores in five games with the Falcons in 2020.

Wide receiver Jon'vea Johnson was waived in a corresponding move. Johnson, 25, initially was acquired of waivers from the Dallas Cowboys on March 20.

The Chicago Bears signed tight

end Jake Butt, defensive tackle Mike Pennel and tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. on Friday.

The three free agents participated in full-squad mini-camp this week as a tryout.

The Bears waived undrafted rookies Thomas Schaffler, a defensive lineman, and tackle Gunnar Vogel to make room on the roster.

Butt, who turns 26 next month, has been limited to just eight NFL games since the Denver Broncos selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He tore his ACL in his final college game in the Orange Bowl with Michigan and missed his rookie season. In 2018 he suffered the same injury, spent 2019 on injured reserve and was hampered by a hamstring injury in 2020. He had 10 catches for 90 yards with the Broncos.