Rodgers among 16 excused from Packers' minicamp

Aaron Rodgers was one of 16 select veteran players excused from the Green Bay Packers' mandatory minicamp on Tuesday by head coach Mike McCarthy.

Fellow quarterbacks DeShone Kizer and Brett Hundley were expected to receive additional reps in the absence of Rodgers, who is a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and six-time Pro Bowl selection.

It's the third straight offseason that McCarthy has given select veterans a free pass for mandatory minicamp.

"They deserve it, where they are particularly in their career," McCarthy said Tuesday, per ESPN. "And as we all know, the second part is there's only so many reps that you can accomplish throughout the offseason. So really focused on the veterans there through the OTAs and now the focus will start, really with (last) Thursday's practice and today's practice, tomorrow and Thursday's practice will be exclusively for our young players.

"This is a huge opportunity, and it's really the same message I gave the players this morning and last Thursday is we've got to take a jump as a football team. You see it every year, young guys start to figure it out ... but this is a great opportunity for our young players."

In addition to Rodgers, the following players were also excused: wide receiver Randall Cobb, tight ends Jimmy Graham, Lance Kendricks and Marcedes Lewis, kicker Mason Crosby, cornerbacks Davon House and Tramon Williams, linebackers Clay Matthews and Nick Perry, guard Lane Taylor, tackles David Bakhtiari, Bryan Bulaga and Byron Bell and defensive tackles Mike Daniels and Muhammad Wilkerson.