NFL insider details Matt LaFleur-Kyle Shanahan beef caused by Aaron Rodgers

Would it surprise you to learn that Aaron Rodgers is making life tough for his coworkers? (It's not actually his fault this time, but we can pretend!)

The story comes from Kay Adams' show, where NFL reporter Michael Silver was one of this week's guests. In the 90-second video, Silver explains how Shanahan and LaFleur breifly had a falling out, all because of some well-timed Aaron Rodgers rumors. See, he always plays a role somehow.

NFL insider details LaFleur-Shanahan beef caused by Aaron Rodgers

"There was a period where Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur, who had once been very close, didn't speak for months during a very contentious 2021 season," he said. "And it was preciptated by that draft drama ... there was a lot of talk that Aaron Rodgers would be suddenly traded to the Broncos that night. It didn't happen. But there were also reports about the 49ers and Aaron Rodgers. To Matt LaFleur, they seemed suspiciously timed. He felt a little betrayed, or a lot of betrayed, by Kyle Shanahan, who knew a lot. It let to a blowup that famously, when the Packers beat them in that regular season game, they had one of the chilliest, non-Belichick handshakes in football history. They've since repaired it."

It's so wonderfully petty, it has to be true. This is what it looks like when two NFL head coach-sized egos clash. I wouldn't necessarily believe that a lifelong friendship between two coaches that have made it to the top of their career field could be toppled by a bunch of flimsy draft rumors, but also yes I absolutely would.

Friendships don't last forever, but football does. Football is more important than social interaction. Football is the water of life. If your bro starts a rumor about a Aaron Rodgers trade destinations and then doesn't have the courage to own up to it, that's on him. That's what being a bad friend looks like. I'd have given Kyle Shanahan 1,000 chilly handshakes. That's all he deserves for doing something that cruel.