Packers coach Matt LaFleur dodges question on whether Aaron Banks had knee surgery

The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line question coming out of training camp shifted Friday from availability to explanation, after head coach Matt LaFleur was asked directly whether projected starting left guard Aaron Banks had knee surgery this offseason.

Banks is understood to be dealing with tendinitis in his knee, an issue that, according to the report, had him start camp on the physically unable to perform list. Since then, he has been activated to the roster, setting up him as the likely option at left guard as the Packers sort out their depth chart.

When LaFleur was pressed on the surgery question, he did not provide a clear answer. As reported, the coach said, “I’ll let him answer that,” effectively deflecting confirmation or denial and shifting the matter back to Banks.

That exchange matters because knee tendinitis can be managed in multiple ways, ranging from treatment and conditioning to procedure, and the timeline for recovery is often less straightforward than with a single, clearly defined injury event. For a team trying to establish its interior line identity, even a small change in how the injury is handled can affect preparation, snap count, and workload.

Green Bay’s lineup planning depends heavily on continuity up front. The left guard spot is particularly important because it sets protections and run-blocking angles for much of the Packers’ interior schemes. With Banks identified as the projected starter, the organization has a strong incentive to clarify how his knee is being managed, both for fans evaluating the risk and for the coaching staff measuring day-to-day readiness.

The report also frames the surgery question as something the team could have clarified through its leadership. By directing the answer to Banks instead, LaFleur’s response suggested the medical specifics were either not finalized, not shared publicly, or simply not the kind of detail the Packers were prepared to discuss in that moment.

For now, the most concrete information in the public record is the status update in camp and the nature of the knee issue described as tendinitis. Anything beyond that, including whether a surgical procedure occurred and what the plan is for the remainder of the preseason, remains for Banks or the team to state more plainly.

The next checkpoint is straightforward: how Banks practices over the coming sessions, whether he handles full work consistently, and if the team continues treating him as a week-to-week starter rather than a cautionary case. Until there is a more direct medical clarification, the surgery question will likely stay secondary to the practical one, can he execute reliably at game speed without limitations.