Will Aaron Rodgers Stay in Green Bay?
29 January 2021
By: Paulina Vairo
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Aaron Rodgers has been Green Bay’s quarterback for over 16 years. After succeeding Brett Favre as starting quarterback in 2008, he has had 10 winning seasons, 10 seasons with playoff appearances, one Super Bowl win and two NFL MVP honors. A future Hall of Famer, Rodgers has had a great career in Green Bay, but has his time in Green Bay come to an end?
Last Sunday, the Green Bay Packers faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Conference Championship Game for a spot in Super Bowl LV. With two minutes left in the game, Rodgers and the Packers were in the red zone, only needing a touchdown to take the lead in the game. At third and goal, Rodgers made the mistake of not running the ball in the end zone that caused him a third down. After failing to convert a touchdown, head coach Matt LaFleur decided for his team to kick a field goal instead of going on fourth down with two minutes left in the game.
This may have caused the Packers the game, as the Bucs went on to claim victory 31-26, sending Tom Brady to his tenth Super Bowl. When asked why the Packers did not go for it on fourth down, Rodgers simply said, “It wasn’t my decision.”
LeFleur told CBS Sports that his decision to not go for it on fourth down was a mistake and explains why he elected to kick instead. “
Anytime it doesn’t work out, you always regret it, right? But it was just the circumstances of having three shots and coming away with no yards and knowing that you not only need the touchdown but you need the two-point (conversion). So the way I was looking at it was, we essentially had four timeouts with the two-minute warning and, you know, we knew we needed to get a stop. And I thought we were gonna have a stop at the end, but we got called for the PI. It didn’t work out. But we’re always gonna be process-driven here, and the way our defense was battling, the way our defense was playing, it felt like it was the right thing to do,” said LeFleur.
Rodgers had many Packers’ fan worried about his future with the team after his postgame interview on Sunday. When asked about the his future and the future of his teammates on the team, Rodgers said according to the NFL, “A lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain, myself included. That’s what’s sad about it most. Getting this far. Obviously there’s going to be an end to it at some point whether we make it past this one or not. Just the uncertainties is tough and the finality of it.”
The tone of his voice sounded pretty convincing that he isn’t happy with things currently in Green Bay.
Matt LaFleur’s job is potentially on the line after his crucial mistake make during the NFC Championship Game (Photo Credit: Evan Siegle/packers.com)
Rodgers extended his contract with the Packers for four-years, $134 million. In 2021, Rodgers’ is expected to get $37.1 million, which is 20 percent of the Packers’ salary cap according to Pro Football Network. If the Packers are serious about keeping Rodgers, they should give him a new contract.
NBC Sports reported that Rodgers is earning the same amount of money as Jared Goff. Also according to Sports Illustrated, he is making less than Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger. Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson are also expected to get more money than Rodgers in the offseason. For a quarterback that will potentially win the NFL MVP for the third time in his career, Rodgers certainly does deserve a better contract.
Teams right now that are currently looking for a new quarterback are the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions. If the Packers decide not to pursue a better contract with Rodgers, football fans can easily see him play for another team for the first time in his career. They could decide move on from Rodgers since drafting Jordan Love from Utah State in the 2020 NFL draft.
There won’t be a decision on Rodgers’ future until later in the offseason when the tensions from the NFC Championship loss simmer down. Rodgers has not had the best of luck when it comes to the playoffs as he has lost now four of the last five NFC Conference Championships that the Packers have been in. If the Packers do not commit to him, he may leave in the offseason in hopes to get another Super Bowl ring before he retires.
Retirement is not in Rodgers’ plan anytime soon as he looks to continue to play for a couple more years (Photo Credit: Jason Wilde/State Journal)
(Article can also be seen on https://thegamehaus.com/nfl/will-aaron-rodgers-stay-in-green-bay/2021/01/29/ )