Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is very particular about a number of things. One of those are hand signals, which he goes to great lengths to protect. But he also goes to equally great lengths to ensure his teammates know the signals, which can be around 30.
It would be easy for players to know the signals if they were written down somewhere or included in the playbook. But they’re not, and that’s because Rodgers treats his signals like secrets; the Packers doesn’t want just any player who could easily be cut to share them with another team.
Every Saturday, Rodgers meets with his teammates and gives them pop quizzes on the hand signals. It’s a stressful time for the players.
“The signal meetings was by far the worst thing,” former Packers wide receiver Chris Blair told The Athletic. “I used to hate those.”
“You don’t want to get called on because. . . you gotta do it in front of the whole team,” Bears wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, who was previously with the Packers, added.
Whether the player is a veteran or a rookie, Rodgers has the same expectations; they must know all of the signals and be able to recognize them on the fly.
“It’s probably the most nerve-racking for a young player because we don’t get taught them,” ex-Packers running back Kylin Hill said.
Rodgers is so protective of the hand signals, they aren’t written down anywhere. The coaches themselves don’t even know them.
“We don’t teach them because players get released every day or traded, so we don’t want anybody giving out A-Rod’s signals,” Hill said.
It’s memory only for Rodgers and his teammates. And oftentimes, he’ll even recycle hand signals from years past. It’s a constant rotation and a very difficult thing for young players to grasp.
Apparently the system works because it’s helped deliver consecutive MVP awards for Rodgers.
