Aaron Rodgers will hear boos at Lambeau Field and that will be odd…but expected. I’ve been pretty critical of the man but absolutely feel the Packers are a much better team with him under center…this year. Green Bay goes right back to the top of the “lists” with Rogers as QB but that is not to say that all is forgiven. Aaron Rodgers has done what he believes to be in his best interest and he is well within his right to position himself for a future that he sees fit. The Packers held the cards, they made that draft pick, they have built a team not reliant on one guy and they are well aware of some pending salary cap hardships on the horizon. Everyone appears to be all in.
So how do those that have soured a little on the GBQB move forward? Very simple. First rule…live the advice of the great Vito Corleone…”it’s nothing personal, it’s just business”. What you saw and what you heard with Rodgers was sports theater. It was marketing and it was contract negotiation role-play. There was undoubtedly concession and contrition on both sides but no one was really going anywhere. People that run billion dollar organizations don’t have the luxury of poorly treating their multi-million dollar assets And from Rodgers to Yeli to Giannis…it is still their job. Aaron Rodgers does not need my permission to do whatever he deems necessary when it concerns his career.
Secondly, this is absolutely the best scenario from a football standpoint. An untested 2nd year man or the returning MVP? Hmmm..probably take the MVP. The Pack are dead last in terms of “how do we look for salary cap NEXT year”, so they are obviously 100% pot committed. And it really does Rodgers no good to just mail it in because he is essentially playing for what is likely a major contract payday somewhere else. PFF and ESPN both rank the Packers in the Top 8 for overall roster strength (a tad light in my opinion). And the Pack and the Bucs are the only 2 teams in the NFL with 7 players in the PFF Top 100. I mean, why wouldn’t you want a first ballot Hall of Famer under center.
And lastly, look at the bigger picture. The Packers are not without some short term issues but they are positioned well for the future…and when they lock up Alexander and when a few of their young defenders break out, they will be contenders for the foreseeable future. The organization is as unique as it is impenetrable, equally not reliant on one guy, and all Packer fans are blessed to be a part of something so rare. Toss in a Bucks Championship, another Brewer solid season with high upside and the consistency of the Badgers and you can say this may currently be the epicenter of the sports universe. Moral of the story is, this is way bigger than one guy….any one guy. So put down any angst….let’s get greedy!
