Soon, we will know what the near future holds for Aaron Rodgers. As ESPN reported on Feb. 24, the legendary Packers quarterback intends to inform the team of the decision on his status for the 2022 season shortly. Rodgers’ call on where he wants to play next season will heavily impact his ultimate legacy. Rodgers can retire, ask for a trade, or sign a contract extension that would make him the highest paid quarterback in the league, possibly in the neighborhood of $50 million annually. It is a guess, but seems very on point that Rodgers will lean to signing an extension or requesting to finish his career elsewhere.
Aaron Rodgers: Stay Or Fly Away?
Retiring Won’t Be An Option
At this point of his NFL tenure, Rodgers’ career narrative is much like that of Peyton Manning’s before he won a second Super Bowl. For as many accolades as both received, both have been critiqued for not leading a team to more than one championship. Some still see Manning as being “along for the ride” when he won the second title with Denver, but much of the negative commentary about his lack of postseason success dissipated.
Rodgers has lost four straight NFC Championship games and was sent home in an upset loss to the 49ers in the Divisional Round this season. He has a 12-10 playoff record and has lost three of his last four postseason matchups. While Rodgers deserves credit for winning a Super Bowl – no active QB has won more than one as a starter – the inability to finish in the playoffs may gnaw at Rodgers way more than any of his critics.
You have to believe a tenacious competitor like Rodgers, who is still playing at a high level, does not want to end his career now while he is still in form to be the leader of a championship team. He has unfinished business, it is just a matter of whether he gets to write the desired end of his story in Green Bay or elsewhere. Aaron Rodgers May Want to Finish What He Started in Green Bay
The pain of not being able to deliver at least another trip to the Super Bowl over the last decade has pained the Packers faithful, too. It’s a fan base that is legendary for its unyielding devotion to the team, and has supported Rodgers for the most part throughout his career in Green Bay.
Some fans have become understandably frustrated by the uncertainty surrounding Rodgers, but would like nothing more than to see him return and cement his place in franchise and NFL history with another Super Bowl title. Losing Rodgers means there is no more Lombardi Trophy any time soon in Lombardi town.
Say what you want about his playoff failures, but no one can doubt that Rodgers has given everything possible to the Packers faithful, the city and his teammates in pursuit of another title. Bringing another Lombardi home to Green Bay would certainly be sweeter than winning it all anywhere else.
Paying For a Title
If Rodgers does indeed agree to an extension with the Packers, he will certainly stir a lot of the usual buzz about how he will be “taking up too much of the cap,” which could prevent the team from maintaining a competitive structure around him.
In today’s NFL, though, teams simply have to pay for a superstar QB because the league is so devoid of them. If the Packers do not pay Rodgers what he wants on an extension, they have no attractive alternatives at the most important position. If Rodgers plays elsewhere, Green Bay will have to hope that Jordan Love develops into a better NFL QB over the next few years, or they may not even sniff the NFC title game again for a long time.
Losing Rodgers would send the franchise backwards, and the team still has a window to reach the Super Bowl with him on the roster. They are already making moves to welcome Rodgers back by restructuring the contracts of Aaron Jones and Kenny Clark.
As Packers fans have seen, getting back to a Super Bowl is no easy task, and some fine QBs such as Warren Moon and Philip Rivers never played in one. Dan Marino never returned after one loss and we may soon say the same about Matt Ryan. Tom Brady is an outlier, not a measuring stick for all others. Green Bay simply cannot afford to blow its opportunity to win another Super Bowl with Rodgers, because without him, who knows when they will be a contender again? The Packers can’t close the door early on an era that can still end with another championship.
Has He Had Enough?
The last two seasons have ended in significant frustration for Rodgers. It would be understandable, but could be perceived as selfish in Green Bay, if he were to ask for a trade. The obvious destination would seem to be Denver, which is just a QB away from looking like a top Super Bowl contender. But the Packers reportedly have a few offers that they can consider.
It is likely very important to Rodgers that he finishes his career with another title. He has to come to a conclusion whether or not he will have the best opportunity to reach the top of the NFL mountain again in Green Bay or with another team. Will Rodgers end his Green Bay career in disappointing fashion like Brett Favre did? After seeing how that storyline played out, maybe he should consider sticking with the Packers before retiring. There are no guarantees that he can win another Super Bowl somewhere else, and he already has shown he can get to the
doorstep with his current franchise. The Packers will still be an NFC title contender if Rodgers returns in 2022.
The grass may be more orange in Denver, but Rodgers already knows it’s pretty green where he is right now.
Main image credit:
Embed from Getty Images
