The Green Bay Packers ended the 2024 offseason workout program with a final minicamp practice on Wednesday. Coach Matt LaFleur said the team will be excused for the final day of minicamp on Thursday because of an earlier start date of training camp this summer.
“Today is our last day,” LaFleur said Wednesday. “Typically, in the past, we’ve had the last day be dedicated to a team-building event. I thought, coming back (to training camp) earlier this year…I thought it was important to move the team-building event to last week. We had a bowling event that the guys seemed to enjoy. I thought it was everyone’s best interest. We’re giving them off tomorrow.”
The Packers open training camp on July 22. LaFleur’s team will return earlier than usual due to opening the regular season on Friday night of Week 1 in Brazil.
The Packers got through six rounds of organized team activities and a mandatory minicamp during the offseason workout program.
How does LaFleur feel about his team entering the break?
“We’ve laid a good foundation.” LaFleur said. “It’s a good start…I feel really good about the group in there.”
LaFleur challenged his players to get physically and mentally better over the five weeks of summer break before camp.
“It’s about what we do moving forward,” LaFleur said. “Hopefully, over the course of these five weeks, the challenge to these guys is you cannot come back the same player. You have to come back better. You have to come back in better shape and come back better mentally.”
As a coach, LaFleur said he’ll use the break to “decompress” and “recharge the batteries” before the grind of the season arrives in late July.
Running back Josh Jacobs was excused for Wednesday’s minicamp practice. Like defensive backs Jaire Alexander, Keisean Nixon and Xavier McKinney, Jacobs fulfilled his contractual obligations to get his workout bonus.