2020-21 NFL Season

[hairy worthen]

Absolute revisionist history.  He was a Pro bowler in 2019.  4000 yards.  26 TD 4 INT...  And his WR group was miserable.  His 2nd best WR had 35 catches, which was 5th most on the team.

No, wrong, He was in decline 2018 and 2019. Still had decent numbers, but a decline from his standard. Those numbers above don't tell the whole picture. He missed throws, held the ball too long among other things. Now of course he rebounded in 2020, but Gutey didn't know that when he drafted Love. The wide receiver argument is valid, but is it the receivers then or Rodgers.  Look, I think Rodgers is the best of all time, but he has his share of mistakes and poor play.

[Goose]

Hutch

Spot on. GOAT's deliver in the biggest games. Rodgers record against teams with winning records (small favorite or underdog) is very poor. Everyone said that Brady had six wins in the bag playing in AFC East and Rodgers had same stiffs in NFC North. To me, I never had confidence in Rodgers delivering in the clutch against good teams.

I really believe that he bought into the GOAT hype early on and was more worried about not throwing a pick than winning. He has come across as arrogant for long time and it got old  to me. I love arrogant but only if winning comes along with it. Great QB with very limited hardware to show for it.

[Pakuni]

Fun fact: Since 2009, the Bears have invested 13 draft picks in QBs, including five first-rounders. Fourteen if you count the pick used on Kyle Orton, who was part of the Cutler trade.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Watch, Bridgewater will end up starting in GB this fall.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

Fun fact: Since 2009, the Bears have invested 13 draft picks in QBs, including five first-rounders. Fourteen if you count the pick used on Kyle Orton, who was part of the Cutler trade.

As a Bears fan “fun” is not the word I’d use to describe that fact. I do think the move for Fields is worth the risk, though.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Yes guys have fluke years and are the MVP.  Stop defending the front office in GB.  They've bungled the Rodgers situation, and our last two first round picks have been unequivocal head scratchers around the NFL.  You can like Stokes as a player, but also realize that you could have gotten him a round later.  Probably the same with Jordan Love last year.  That's why people are pissed.  The GM picks who he likes not realizing these guys could probably be gotten later.

I'll defend him.  He took a depleted roster, added talent through FA and the draft, hired a good young coach, resigned all of the key offensive players, and has been to two straight NFC Championship Games. 

And they have offered Rodgers an extension.  But he won't sign it because they drafted Jordan Love without telling him?  No offense, but that's not the GM's fault.  That's a petulant quarterback.

[Uncle Rico]

Spot on Rico.  He couldn’t deliver a TD with three cracks at it late in the game.  As much as Brady struggled in the 2nd half, he made more plays than Rodgers that game and delivered the dagger in the end.  Which is why he’s won so many championships and why Rodgers is  1-4 in NFC championship games. 

People  can excuse those losses away on defense, Bostick, McCarthy, etc. all they want, but the fact is Rodgers has stunk in those games and numbers prove it. Yes, he’s had a lot of great moments and games, but elite QB’s are judged on getting it done and winning it all, not getting close, only to fall short again. So Rodgers can enjoy his company with the Dilfers and Flaccos of NFL history with his one SB appearance and title.

QBs get too much credit and too much blame.  The idolatry of QBs is so over-the-top nowadays, it’s actually insulting to their teammates.

Rodgers playoff run in 2010 was arguably the greatest in football history.  It was nearly impeccable save the NFC Title game and I’ll go to my grave convinced he was concussed on his TD run.  Since then, he hasn’t been nearly as sharp in the playoffs.  Asking him to match 2010 is ridiculous but no one can argue he hasn’t been part of why they lost games

[4everwarriors]

Shut up and pass, aina?

[thebigjake]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand all the talking heads speculating about what the Packers have to do, where they'll trade Rodgers, what they'll get in return, etc...

The Packers don't have to do anything. He's under contract for 3 more years. Let him whine, he has zero leverage.  What is AR going to do, sit out this season at age 37 and give up $30 million?  The Pack can just keep the money (by fining him), keep him under contract and see what they have in Love. That's the nuclear option and won't realistically happen. But that will absolutely happen before they trade him, because they won't trade him. Gute is calling his bluff, and he's right to do so.

[cheebs09]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand all the talking heads speculating about what the Packers have to do, where they'll trade Rodgers, what they'll get in return, etc...

The Packers don't have to do anything. He's under contract for 3 more years. Let him whine, he has zero leverage.  What is AR going to do, sit out this season at age 37 and give up $30 million?  The Pack can just keep the money (by fining him), keep him under contract and see what they have in Love. That's the nuclear option and won't realistically happen. But that will absolutely happen before they trade him, because they won't trade him. Gute is calling his bluff, and he's right to do so.

Yeah, his main leverage is not playing. But like you said, it’s not like he is early in his career. He’s got limited years left and is on a team that made two NFCC games in a row.

The fact the Packers offered him an extension surprises me. Just due to the fact I thought this was mostly about forcing the Packers hand to improve his contract situation.

In some of his interviews, he sounds like kind of an interesting dude. Me being the armchair GM wonders where could he reasonably go that’s a better situation. Although Brady went to a team that didn’t look like a contender the year before and won a Super Bowl.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

The Packers don't have to do anything. He's under contract for 3 more years. Let him whine, he has zero leverage.  What is AR going to do, sit out this season at age 37 and give up $30 million?

Rodgers is petty enough to where he will do exactly that and go host jeopardy.

[Uncle Rico]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand all the talking heads speculating about what the Packers have to do, where they'll trade Rodgers, what they'll get in return, etc...

The Packers don't have to do anything. He's under contract for 3 more years. Let him whine, he has zero leverage.  What is AR going to do, sit out this season at age 37 and give up $30 million?  The Pack can just keep the money (by fining him), keep him under contract and see what they have in Love. That's the nuclear option and won't realistically happen. But that will absolutely happen before they trade him, because they won't trade him. Gute is calling his bluff, and he's right to do so.

People really don’t know Aaron Rodgers at all.  If you don’t think he’d willingly walk away from that money over principle, you simply haven’t paid attention to him at all.  He’s the pettiest athlete I’ve seen since Michael Jordan.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't understand all the talking heads speculating about what the Packers have to do, where they'll trade Rodgers, what they'll get in return, etc...

The Packers don't have to do anything. He's under contract for 3 more years. Let him whine, he has zero leverage.  What is AR going to do, sit out this season at age 37 and give up $30 million?  The Pack can just keep the money (by fining him), keep him under contract and see what they have in Love. That's the nuclear option and won't realistically happen. But that will absolutely happen before they trade him, because they won't trade him. Gute is calling his bluff, and he's right to do so.

Assuming he is absolutely dead set against playing for the Packers next year, the Packers can either....

...refuse to move him.  Sure they get to keep his contract $$$, but then a cloud hangs over the organization all off season.  What if he shows up just before the season starts?  Or halfway through the season?  It would be a mess.

...or trade him now.  Get something for their asset.  Draft picks, a player of some sort, etc.  He becomes less valuable if the situation above happens because teams know they will be desperate to trade him.  (See what happened with Favre.)

I think they should continue to talk with him.  Continue to try to make amends and extend him.  But if it doesn't work, trade him after June 1 when the cap hit is easier to deal with.  Ship him to an AFC team that might be desperate to overpay...I am looking at you Raiders.

[Pakuni]

Rodgers is petty enough to where he will do exactly that and go host jeopardy.

Yeah, Rodgers has never struck me as a guy who needs football, the way Tom Brady or Drew Brees need football. The guy has nearly $241 million in career earnings just from football and millions and millions more from sponsorships. And opportunities to earn money in other ways once he leaves the game. He doesn't need the Packers' money.

Honestly, this could be a golden ticket for the Packers to set themselves up for the next decade, if they play their cards right. As crazy as it sounds to trade away a top 2-3 QB, they'd be foolish to not at least take calls.

[thebigjake]

Actually, I think AR showing the world that he can still play at MVP levels into his 40's is VERY important to him.  If Brady didn't just do it, then maybe not. But he is showing his desperation, because claiming he won't play is his only move.  It's really not that smart, IMO. Just play better than Jordan Love, that's all you need to do.  Him being so but-hurt by that is not a good look.

[DegenerateDish]

Why? The salary difference between the 11th pick and the 20th pick is about $5 million over four years.

You’re not following my logic. What was the rush to sign Dalton? What was the rush to commit $9 million on top of that? They did not let the market settle, and they knew they had to make a decision on Fuller. They already had Foles under contract. By jumping on Dalton, they ultimately sacrificed Fuller for the cap space.

Either they sign Dalton later at a less expensive price, or they wait until the draft to decide what to do at QB. Signing Dalton when they did sacrificed keeping Fuller.

[MU82]

Rodgers has a ton of leverage.

If he plays, the Packers can contend for the conference title; if he refuses to play, the Packers almost surely will suck. That's a ton of leverage.

Plus, he simply doesn't need the money. He wants the money, of course. He wants even more money. But he doesn't need it, and that's also a ton of leverage.

He also saw what Brady did going to a different franchise and winning a Super Bowl immediately. The Bucs had some talent, but they still had sucked for years and they didn't go all-in on winning until Brady signed on. And plenty of people thought Brady was no longer a great QB going into last season. You don't think Rodgers has the confidence/ego to believe he could do similar with any number of other teams?

NFL contracts famously favor the teams and not the players, making it different from basketball and baseball. I'd argue that Rodgers has about as much leverage as an NFL player can have.

As for whether he's the GOAT ... of course not. He simply hasn't won enough in the postseason. He isn't in Brady's league when it comes to the single most important "stat," and I'm not sure why he would have any more claim to GOAT than Favre, Brees, Roethlisberger, P. Manning, Elway, etc.

And I am saying that as a football fan (but not a Packers fan) who loves watching Rodgers play, and who believes he absolutely is among the best dozen (maybe even best half-dozen) QBs ever.

[Goose]

82

I think Rodgers is the most insecure superstar I have ever seen. We have been lucky enough to see three of the greatest competitors in the history of sports over the past 40 years, Tiger, MJ and Brady. All three of these guys have winning in their DNA are freaks in that regard. Winners and leaders are born that way and they come around infrequently. We have been lucky to witness three of them in our lifetimes. Great winners/leaders/competitors seldom tell others they possess those skills because they do not need to. Rodgers has to remind everyone about the chip on his shoulder, holding grudges and being smart because IMO he is very insecure.

Aaron Rodgers is off the charts talented and that should be appreciated, but he is not a winner. Look up his numbers against teams with winning records, NFC championship games, road record, etc..and it is not impressive. Tom Brady had 19 game road winning streak end a few years ago. Winners almost always win on the biggest stage and Rodgers has not.

I will say this,Brett Favre broke my heart countless times and Rodgers has never broke my heart as a Packer fan. A guy that calls a hail mary pass against the Lions in the regular season one of his greatest career highlights convinced me he was not a team player. I just listened again to Rory talking about a recent visit to Tiger's house and a discussion they had over his trophies and what meant to the most to Tiger. My guess is Tiger has had more "hail mary" moments than Rodgers and picking up hardware is what he cherishes.

[cheebs09]

Rodgers has a ton of leverage.

If he plays, the Packers can contend for the conference title; if he refuses to play, the Packers almost surely will suck. That's a ton of leverage.

I don’t know that he has a ton of leverage if the goal is to get out of GB. They likely won’t trade him before June 1 as I think he costs more to trade than stay until then.

The Packers will have Love start whether he holds out or is off the team, so I wonder if you keep him and see if he changes his mind. As Fluffy points out, the drama may torpedo the season, but Love at QB probably already limits your ceiling.

I’m surprised he wants to go the trade route unless he’s just that unhappy. The Packers control where he goes. Although, Rodgers’ leverage is impacting what the Packers can get by saying who he’d sign an extension with. He is still under contract for 3 more years, so would the new team need to extend him?

It’s all pretty fascinating. The Packers are perfectly set up to make a decision next year of go with Love or commit to Rodgers and find a new project QB. Rodgers threw a wrench by bouncing back and playing great. Now he’s forcing that decision a year early. Granted I think we all figured this would come to a head at this point.

This might mean Love is doing well otherwise Rodgers probably wouldn’t feel all that threatened.

[Hards Alumni]

I'll defend him.  He took a depleted roster, added talent through FA and the draft, hired a good young coach, resigned all of the key offensive players, and has been to two straight NFC Championship Games. 

And they have offered Rodgers an extension.  But he won't sign it because they drafted Jordan Love without telling him?  No offense, but that's not the GM's fault.  That's a petulant quarterback.

I don't disagree, but people telling me that 'Rodgers lost a step' are kidding themselves. 

[JWags85]

Pettiness aside, I think Rodgers is most like Lebron in his insecurity and need for constant affirmation and knack for needlessly reminding people of how great he is or how hard things are for him or how he’s treated.  Both insane physical gifts and all time talent/performance but demeanor and media presence which doesn’t line up with it

[thebigjake]

I don’t know that he has a ton of leverage if the goal is to get out of GB. They likely won’t trade him before June 1 as I think he costs more to trade than stay until then.

The Packers will have Love start whether he holds out or is off the team, so I wonder if you keep him and see if he changes his mind. As Fluffy points out, the drama may torpedo the season, but Love at QB probably already limits your ceiling.

I’m surprised he wants to go the trade route unless he’s just that unhappy. The Packers control where he goes. Although, Rodgers’ leverage is impacting what the Packers can get by saying who he’d sign an extension with. He is still under contract for 3 more years, so would the new team need to extend him?

It’s all pretty fascinating. The Packers are perfectly set up to make a decision next year of go with Love or commit to Rodgers and find a new project QB. Rodgers threw a wrench by bouncing back and playing great. Now he’s forcing that decision a year early. Granted I think we all figured this would come to a head at this point.

This might mean Love is doing well otherwise Rodgers probably wouldn’t feel all that threatened.

That is the fascinating part in all this.  AR being hurt by them drafting Love shouldn't really mean anything, why would one of the greatest of all time, playing at an MVP level be worried about Love?  Why would the Packers just cut the reigning MVP to play an unproven rookie? Of course they wouldn't- no team ever would do that.  If he was that threatened by them drafting Love he would have been saying this stuff last year, not now.  But he didn't say that last year, because Love wasn't a threat last year.  The only thing that changed is they played a full season- where they were essentially one or two plays from the Super Bowl. Why is he so threatened now?  He should be MORE confident that he's not close to losing his job after an MVP season, not less so.

Of course- he may not be threatened at all by Love, and he is just being a petulant diva.  I love AR, so I hope that isn't true, but it might be that simple.  This is all so stupid.

[Warrior Code]

That is the fascinating part in all this.  AR being hurt by them drafting Love shouldn't really mean anything, why would one of the greatest of all time, playing at an MVP level be worried about Love?  Why would the Packers just cut the reigning MVP to play an unproven rookie? Of course they wouldn't- no team ever would do that.  If he was that threatened by them drafting Love he would have been saying this stuff last year, not now.  But he didn't say that last year, because Love wasn't a threat last year.  The only thing that changed is they played a full season- where they were essentially one or two plays from the Super Bowl. Why is he so threatened now?  He should be MORE confident that he's not close to losing his job after an MVP season, not less so.

Of course- he may not be threatened at all by Love, and he is just being a petulant diva.  I love AR, so I hope that isn't true, but it might be that simple.  This is all so stupid.

Wasn't it less to do with another qb being a threat to his job and more him being mad that they could have used the pick on another offensive weapon?

[Hards Alumni]

Actually, I think AR showing the world that he can still play at MVP levels into his 40's is VERY important to him.  If Brady didn't just do it, then maybe not. But he is showing his desperation, because claiming he won't play is his only move.  It's really not that smart, IMO. Just play better than Jordan Love, that's all you need to do.  Him being so but-hurt by that is not a good look.

yes

He also saw what Brady did going to a different franchise and winning a Super Bowl immediately. The Bucs had some talent, but they still had sucked for years and they didn't go all-in on winning until Brady signed on. And plenty of people thought Brady was no longer a great QB going into last season. You don't think Rodgers has the confidence/ego to believe he could do similar with any number of other teams?

exactly this.

People who don't think Rodgers is a competitor haven't been watching the same guy I have for the last decade and a half.  I think his desire to win championships is what is fueling this behavior.  This isn't about money.  This is 100% about getting more trophies so he can be in the running for one of the best of all time.

BTW Goose, Brett Favre is/was a chump QB compared to Rodgers.  Favre was fun to watch, but he flushed a lot more games down the toilet than Rodgers.

[Hards Alumni]

Wasn't it less to do with another qb being a threat to his job and more him being mad that they could have used the pick on another offensive weapon?

That's my opinion as well.  They could have taken players to help a 13-3 team get over the hump.  Instead they took a player they didn't really need.

You guys can call Rodgers a diva, and maybe some of that is true.  But the media makes up narratives to make money.  How would Brady have reacted if the Pats had taken a QB in the first round a year after going 13-3?