Is Aaron Rodgers even good anymore?

[texaspackerbacker]

I get sick of reading this ignorant shit from a bunch of ingrates bad mouthing Aaron Rodgers. The plain fact is, he is damn near as good as he ever was - the best QB in the history of the league, and the team around him is fairly mediocre.

[Fosco33]

Rodgers is fine. This year can be chalked up to injury, avg Oline, young WRs and stale scheme.

That said - he does hold the ball (and throw aways) and 3rd down are off this year.

Yesterday I joked ‘it was 3rd and 40’ - and it played out with long incomplete passes... that’s on Arod imo. Early in the season, his knee took away the scramble. He ran it a few times yesterday and maybe believes the 20% shot at a big play is more important that a 1st down?

[run pMc]

He's still good, but his accuracy is off, his OL banged up and most of his receivers are new this year (although you'd think they'd be on same page by now). He's missing reads, reluctant to throw open his receivers, and played through a knee injury. Oh, and some of the play calls are iffy. There's a lot of small things that add up to poor overall execution. He's statistically having a decent year, but you can see throws every week a Top 10 NFL (nevermind future HOF) QB should make.

Most of the issues can be fixed -- the rookie WR's will get better, they can improve OL depth via draft. Coaching and fundamentals may help. A scheme where they don't run 4 go routes on 3rd and 4 might help too. I read the collarbone/knee injuries shouldn't impact his throwing accuracy, but maybe they're wrong? Maybe it's just poor/lazy mechanics?

[gbgary]

he's been great, an all-timer, and still has great moments. and yes the team hasn't done him any favors. but he's not what he was. he'll be 36 next season and he's not worth the cap hit. extending him was a horrible mistake. next year's schedule makes this one look like a cake walk. i don't have confidence the Packers can put a competitive team around him (maybe they'll surprise me in this respect but i doubt it). it's that simple.

[denverYooper]

People get too caught up in the contract. He has made a ton of money for the team and for the league. He's still a smart QB with a lot of talent and has been the face of the franchise. No damn team in the league lets that walk unless they have another Rodgers or Mahomes in the wings. You try to rebuild around himwhile you still can and hope for 1-2 solid shots at a ring. They're paying him what he deserves. Period.

You let him walk with what as a backup plan? Tank, take a shot at a QB in the draft and hope you find a good OC or HC to prop them up with scheme? That is a lot of moving parts and you are probably looking at 5-6 years to iterate through QBs and coaches to maybe get there.

If we're having this same discussion for the next 2 years then sure, move on. Draft a QB high if they crap out next year and sit him for a 1-2. I'm just not ready to wander out into the desert just yet.

[Fritz]

I think we all just have to agree that this year is a lost cause, even insofar as Rodgers getting "back on track." We'd hoped that firing MM would somehow have helped, but it clearly did not.

So it is what it is this year, and we all must simply hope that with a better offensive line, this year's experience for the young receivers, and some time to heal, that Rodgers will return to his old form next year.

I think I'd start playing Kizer here and there. You've got to get a bead on whether you think he can be a competent NFL backup.

[Pugger]

This ain't the year to tank and hope to draft a top QB. This isn't a great QB class. There are maybe 2 worth taking the first round and both of them are grass green - Herbert from Oregon and Lock from Missouri.

[mraynrand]

What you want at this point is for the GM to surround Rodgers with more talent and hire a coach who changes the scheme just enough so that you don't always need 95-100% Rodgers to win games. Maybe 80-90% Rodgers wins you your typical game against a Detroilet or AZ or 2018 ATL. Then, for a big game versus Chicago or the Rams, or a playoff game where the defense gets lit up a bit, then 95% Rodgers, who isn't beat all the hell up from getting sacked all year, comes through.

[call_me_ishmael]

What you need is Aaron Rodgers to learn how to set his F'n feet and throw the football like a quarterback is supposed to. He's not in an ice dancing competition, set your damn feet and let it fly. His fundamentals are garbage right now. That is why he a bottom 10 QB in the NFL right now despite all of the arm and brain talent in the world.

New coach needs to get him back to basics. Set a play cock for 3 seconds in camp. If the ball isn't out if three seconds, play is blown dead. Every morning in camp do an hour one-on-one in footwork exclusively.

They need him to go back to basics. It's interesting to me how the game he was high as a kite, couldn't run around, and had his nervous system slowed down that he had his most accurate (part of) game by far and threw a historically great pass to Geronimo for the TD.

[mraynrand]

New coach needs to get him back to basics. Set a play cock for 3 seconds in camp.

[gbgary]

This ain't the year to tank and hope to draft a top QB. This isn't a great QB class. There are maybe 2 worth taking the first round and both of them are grass green - Herbert from Oregon and Lock from Missouri.

it's the perfect year to tank the last two games but qb is the last thing they need out of this draft.

People get too caught up in the contract. He has made a ton of money for the team and for the league. He's still a smart QB with a lot of talent and has been the face of the franchise. No damn team in the league lets that walk unless they have another Rodgers or Mahomes in the wings. You try to rebuild around himwhile you still can and hope for 1-2 solid shots at a ring. They're paying him what he deserves. Period.

You let him walk with what as a backup plan? Tank, take a shot at a QB in the draft and hope you find a good OC or HC to prop them up with scheme? That is a lot of moving parts and you are probably looking at 5-6 years to iterate through QBs and coaches to maybe get there.

If we're having this same discussion for the next 2 years then sure, move on. Draft a QB high if they crap out next year and sit him for a 1-2. I'm just not ready to wander out into the desert just yet.

Rodgers cap hit really gets ridiculous in 2020 ($36m). maybe he'll do the Packers a favor and retire after 2021, when he's 39, and the cap hit is only $11m lol. there's no way you let him walk and no one in their right mind would trade for him how. we're stuck with the qb situation until the end of 2021. and no he does not deserve what they're paying him. extending him was a horrible decision.

it is what it is this year, and we all must simply hope that with a better offensive line, this year's experience for the young receivers, and some time to heal, that Rodgers will return to his old form next year.

I think I'd start playing Kizer here and there. You've got to get a bead on whether you think he can be a competent NFL backup.

yup...and let him get his knee, and anything else, fixed.

[pbmax]

Gary, his cap in 2020 is $32,600,000

By the time the cap is calculated, it'll be close to the same percentage as it will be for next year, 14%

And four other QBs will exceed his numbers with new deals.

[Carolina_Packer]

Rodgers has to be super-frustrated with the lack of overall development/production from the young receivers. They asked him about some of the throws he has missed this year and he did own the ones that he has missed, but he also said he is not in sync with the receivers. When asked why it has taken so long to develop that chemistry, he said something interesting, and honest. He used the word details, as if to say the receivers are not consistently getting enough of the details right to make the plays work effectively. Certainly having Cobb hurt most of the year and not being able to help much has affected the offense, as has losing Allison in the middle of the season.

I'm not saying this would have made any difference, but perhaps BG should have tried to get a veteran WR to help out once Allison went down for the year and Cobb was so banged up. I know it takes time to get in sync with Rodgers and earn his trust. Also, who would have been available that could have made much difference. That is the dice you roll when half of your new WR corp. is made up of rookies and first year players. Rodgers does not have the luxury of time. Hopefully the team is able to find a worst to first head coach (ala Nagy) who can get this offense firing on all cylinders next year. With a healed up Rodgers and receivers with one more year of experience, and possibly another solid weapon to add to the mix with Devante, they can get this thing turned around.

[gbgary]

Gary, his cap in 2020 is $32,600,000

By the time the cap is calculated, it'll be close to the same percentage as it will be for next year, 14%

And four other QBs will exceed his numbers with new deals.

yes $32.6. my mistake. as for the other qb's...will they be trending-down, 37-38 year old, injury prone, prima donnas?

[Rutnstrut]

I think part of the problem is that we are used to super Rodgers that can carry a team with bad coaching and mediocre talent. The last few years Rodgers has been showing his human side more and more, the writing has been on the wall. Add to that he was injured, and the Packers piss poor job of getting talent around him. He is playing at a mere human level now and there is little talent around him to help.