Billy Turner confirms that Aaron Rodgers’ and Matt LaFleur’s relationship is just fine

All offseason long, the narrative from the national football media when discussing the Green Bay Packers was centered around Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur. Would Rodgers welcome a young head coach and new offensive ideas? Would LaFleur just roll over to his Hall of Fame-bound quarterback? Would — God forbid — Rodgers be unable to audible out of a play at the line of scrimmage?

This week, Green Bay Packers right guard Billy Turner spoke to Locked on Packers and gave another newcomer’s perspective on the two men who lead the Packers — but one from the inside of the locker room. Unsurprisingly, Turner, who is a fascinating and interesting person off the field, said that the two have no trouble getting along, even bringing up the topic unprompted when asked about LaFleur’s development as a coach.

Becoming a head coach is one thing, but then becoming a head coach and being a younger head coach and stepping in front of a room of 90 football players, 90 grown men … being able to step into the room like that and to basically say “Hey, I know you guys have had success in the past. I know you guys have done things one way, but the bottom line is I’m here to change things up. I’m going to be your head football coach and we’re going to do things in a different way.

While Turner began by addressing LaFleur’s transition from being a coordinator to a head coach, he continued on to address the media attention about the relationship in the room head-on:

It develops a lot of trust, especially in this profession. I know that that was a lot of headlines and a lot of people were worried about, LaFleur and Rodgers. That’s what is funny to me in this profession is the media says a lot of things and the media kinda portrays things, but when you’re in the locker room, it’s a completely different dynamic. You see 12 and you see LaFleur walking around and they’re just shooting the shit, they’re joking around, but they’re having fun. And they’re having fun because they’re having success and they’re on the same page.

Does that sound like a pair of men who are struggling to work together? Are there any signs of a power struggle in that room?

Granted, it’s easy to have a good relationship when things are going well. Winning, as the cliche goes, solves everything. And the Packers are certainly winning — they sit at 7-1 and the offense is just now shifting into high gear. But the work required to get to this point requires some give-and-take on the part of both men, and it’s clear from Turner’s comments and from the results on the field that both have been willing to learn from each other and treat each other with respect.

That’s all you can ask for in a high-stress work environment. Respect one another, find a way to combine your skills with that of your coworkers, and fight towards a common goal. According to Billy Turner, at least, that’s just what Rodgers and LaFleur are doing in their first year together.

Check out the full interview with Turner here, where he discusses his own transition to Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers’ early comments about him after his signing, and more.