Green Bay Packers left guard Aaron Banks has been missing time with what has been a mysterious injury. When asked about his injury and what happened between OTAs and now, to make things worse, head coach Matt LaFleur turned the question towards his player.
After returning to practice and working in individual drills at practice the next day, Banks cleared some things up. He told Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he is dealing with tendinitis in his knee that only flares up during football activity.
“According to Banks, he started experiencing discomfort in his knee during offseason workouts,” wrote Silverstein. “He had fully recovered from a groin injury that dogged him much of last season and didn’t think the knee injury was something that would linger. However, when he returned for training camp, it still hadn’t settled down. He described it as tendinitis that flared up anytime he does strenuous football movements.”
Banks told Silverstein that the injury is not quite healed and he does not want to push things too hard and make it worse. He can do light activity as he recovers, but does not want to push it further.
“Once it feels good enough, I’ll be ready,” Banks said. “We’re moving in the right direction. But it doesn’t feel good enough [for full practice]. You can go out there and do individuals in a controlled setting. We’re just trying to be smart.”
Green Bay Packers Left Guard Aaron Banks Explains Injury Status
GettyAaron Banks #65 of the Green Bay Packers
Banks made it clear that he is as disappointed as anyone by his status. He described his feelings as annoyed. For the Packers fans thinking he is just missing practice after signing a big deal, he noted that he takes pride in being on the field.
“It’s annoying,” said Banks. “I pride myself in being out there and working hard and setting an example that way. I’m doing everything I can to get back.”
It is fair that Banks does not miss much time. He was inserted into the starting lineup with the San Francisco 49ers four years ago and has only missed nine starts in four seasons. However, the 49ers did not make a strong run for Banks when he signed a four-year, $77M deal.
Packers Have Competition for Banks When He Returns
LaFleur said that the players stepping into the starting lineup with Banks out are going to make it hard for the team to throw Banks back into the lineup. Banks told Silverstein he understands that he is now competing for his spot, but also knows that is the nature of the league.
“There’s thousands of guys who are competing for your spot,” Banks said. “I’ve known that for a long time. At one point, I was one of those guys nipping at someone else’s heels. That’s the nature of the NFL. There’s always somebody on your heels.
Banks sat his entire rookie season and had to win his starting job in 2022. So, he knows what Jager Burton, Jacob Monk, and even Donovan Jennings are going through right now.
However, he is confident he can come back healthy and prove he is still worth the big money the Packers gave him. He just needs to get over the flare-ups. Time will tell when or if he heals.
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