With the regular 2020 season drawing to a close, Aaron Rodgers has a chance to consolidate his case to earn NFL MVP honors. The 37-year-old has recovered from several disappointing seasons to remind everyone because he is considered one of the best defenders in the league’s history.
But as the veteran quarterback prepares to lead the Green Bay Packers in a Super Bowl race, let’s not pretend that his resurgence just came from nowhere. Instead, the Packers saved Rodgers’ career by pulling a page from Bill Belichick’s manual.
Aaron Rodgers saw his number drop from 2017-2019
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Aaron Rodgers may have only one Super Bowl ring, but he will surely fall as one of the best quarterbacks to ever step on an NFL field.
Incredibly accurate and without fear of making a difficult move in traffic, the former Brett Favre reserve accumulated prolific numbers when he had the chance to take over as Packers’ starting quarterback.
In 2011, Rodgers won his first MVP trophy after launching 45 touchdown passes. He also set career records in passing yards (4,643), quarterback classification (122.5) and yards per attempt (9.2).
Three years later, he won MVP honors again. In its 31-year campaign, the rocket-armed QB launched just five interceptions compared to 38 touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Packers, they fell far short of winning a title.
In recent years, however, Rodgers has struggled to repeat the same success. Part of that blame lies with the Green Bay front office, which has not done the best job of investing resources in talented players.
However, it is difficult to ignore the raw numbers.
After launching 109 touchdowns in 48 games from 2014-16, the future Hall of Fame totaled just 67 in 39 games from 2017-19.
Rodgers’ completion rate has dropped every year since he reached 65.7% of his attempts in 2016. He completed 64.7% in 2017 before dropping to 62.3% in 2018. He reached the bottom of 62, 0% in 2019 – the second worst rate of his career since he took up his initial duties in 2008.
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In 2014, Tom Brady was in exactly the same situation as Aaron Rodgers. After winning his second MVP award in 2010 and taking the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance in 2011, his numbers have dropped dramatically.
Brady hit rock bottom in 2013, when he made just 25 touchdowns and completed just 60.5% of his passes. He ended the season with a quarterback rating of 87.3 – almost 24 points below his league leader rating of 111.0 in 2010.
With his quarterback approaching 40, Bill Belichick courageously summoned Jimmy Garoppolo 42nd overall in 2014. This decision encouraged Brady to take better care of his body, redirect his efforts and ensure that his potential successor would never bring him down from his throne.
Brady won three more Super Bowl rings and another MVP award before fleeing to Tampa this offseason. Garoppolo was traded before his rookie contract expired.
For the Packers, the Brady-Garoppolo situation showed what can happen when you pressure a quarterback in an aging franchise.
The Packers saved Rodgers’ career by pulling a page from Bill Belichick’s manual
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Given the age of Aaron Rodgers and the recent drop in statistics, Green Bay had obvious reasons to consider investing in the quarterback position towards the 2020 NFL draft.
And finally, the Packers pulled a page from Bill Belichick’s manual to save the franchise’s quarterback career.
Choosing Jordan Love in the first round may have fallen out of favor right away, but it was clearly worth it. Even if newcomer QB did not attempt a single pass, it is impossible to ignore Rodgers’ resurgence and fail to establish a connection with the presence of his potential successor in the cast.
The teams do not dedicate choices in the first round to defenders to ride on the bench. But even though the Packers didn’t plan on Love taking control anytime soon due to financial reasons, the fact that they brought him on board meant that the franchise started planning its life after Rodgers.
However, even though almost all of his weapons were injured at some point this season, the future Hall of Fame has arguably put together the most impressive season of his decorated career.
Entering Week 17, Rodgers only needs two touchdown passes to beat his career record of 45, which he set back in 2011. He also completed a career record of 70.3% of his passes in his 13th year as a starter .
If the Packers wanted to light a fire under Rodgers to help him rediscover his vintage form, they certainly accomplished that feat. But will he end his incredible campaign with a second Super Bowl ring?
Based on how he played this season, who is betting against him?
All statistics are courtesy of the Professional Football Reference.