Throughout the offseason, the focus around the Green Bay Packers remains fixated on Aaron Rodgers’ future. Green Bay is coming off an impressive campaign, which has only ramped up Rodgers’ importance toward putting forth a strong 2020 season. That may have received an encouraging note that has Packers fans buzzing ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Packers put forth strong 2019 season

The Packers entered the 2019 season with much uncertainty around whether Matt LaFleur was the right hire.

Despite those concerns, Green Bay pushed forward with a 13-win regular season that captured their first NFC North division title and playoff appearance in three years. The Packers also secured the No.2 overall seed in the NFC while guiding their way to the conference championship game, where they fell short against the San Francisco 49ers.

Green Bay went through adjustment periods offensively, but it featured a more substantial commitment to the running game. To Packers fans’ appeasement, it also saw Aaron Jones finally get a steady workload as he put forth a career-high 1,084 rushing yards with 16 touchdowns along with 49 receptions for 474 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Rodgers experienced a drop in his production, but the Packers found sustained success pushing their way to a win short from reaching the Super Bowl.

Packers boasting about Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur’ confidence

The focus around the Packers has remained on Aaron Rodgers’ long-term future.

The situation will hinge on his relationship with head coach Matt LaFleur as that will be critical to the franchise’s success. With that in mind, general manager Brian Gutekunst has voiced that he is quite encouraged by the continued progress that Rodgers and LaFleur have made with their confidence working together, according to Mike Spofford of Packers.com.

“There’s just a confidence level there in what they’re doing and in how this thing has grown,” Gutekunst said Sunday evening. “That’s probably the biggest thing that I’ve seen. There’s not as much hesitation, I think, as they go through things.

“I’m excited at how they’ve grown.”

The working relationship between the two got off to a bumpy start, but that has improved drastically, especially after a highly successful 2019 season. The bond between them will play a pivotal factor in the team’s progressive growth in the upcoming campaign.

All that sets the table to what should be an intriguing 2020 season for Green Bay.

2020 season expectations

The Packers went far beyond the initial expectations in Matt LaFleur’s first season at the helm.

It has set the bar relatively high for Green Bay to match or exceed a 13-win campaign that saw them reach the NFC Championship game. There has been outside doubt emerging around the team’s prospects for the 2020 season. It’s a growing belief that the team could take a significant step back and miss the playoffs entirely.

The Packers’ offense may feature more balance with the emergence of Aaron Jones, but Aaron Rodgers’ doesn’t have a slew of talented passing-game options around him. It’s where the bulk of the criticism laid with the team after electing to take Jordan Love instead of addressing their wide receiver position.

All that places much of the onus on Rodgers to get the most out of the talent around him as Davante Adams and Aaron Jones are the only Pro Bowl talents at the skilled positions. The 36-year-old is also coming off a campaign where he had a notable drop in production, which further fuels the outside doubt.

Nonetheless, the Packers will have to prove it on the field yet again in 2020.