Aaron Rodgers

@AaronRodgers12

Teams

• Green Bay Packers (2005-present)

Accolades

• 4x NFL Most Valuable Player (2011, 2014, 2020, 2021)
• Super Bowl Champion (XLV)
• Super Bowl MVP (XLV)
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
• 10x Pro Bowl (2009, 2011-2012, 2014-2016, 2018-2021)
• 4x First-Team All-Pro (2011, 2014, 2020, 2021)
• Second-Team All-Pro (2012)
• Bert Bell Award (2011)

“I want to be the best. I want to be counted on by my teammates. I want to be counted on by this organization and the fans. I want to be someone they know is going to bring it every single week. I prepare to be the best. I train in the offseason to be the best. I take it very seriously, and I’ve still got a long way to go.”

-Aaron Rodgers (source)

“Aaron is probably the best quarterback in the game behind Tom Brady.”

-Brian Urlacher, Hall of Fame Linebacker, Chicago Bears (source)

“I watch [Aaron Rodgers’] game, and it makes me want to get out there and practice and improve, because I think he’s so phenomenal with how he manages himself in the pocket. His ability to throw the football is unlike anyone in probably the history of the league. It’s pretty awesome to watch.”     

-Tom Brady, Quarterback, New England Patriots (source)

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Sit and wait.  Sit and wait.  It’s what Aaron Rodgers had to do during 2005 NFL Draft.  Considered one of two quarterbacks likely to be the first pick in the draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected Alex Smith instead of the Northern Californian and Cal-Berkeley alum in Rodgers.  Rodgers would sit, humiliated, for three hours until the Green Bay Packers called his name at #24 overall.  Then, he would sit and wait, sit and wait, for three more years, learning from the bench as Brett Favre’s back-up.  When the Packers finally decided to move on from the man who led them to victory in Super Bowl XXXI, Aaron Rodgers was ready.  Continuing to battle through serious injuries throughout his career, he remains possibly the most disciplined QB to ever play the pro game. 

Aaron Rodgers made zero starts, and threw only 59 passes, from 2005-2007, his first three years in the NFL.  Despite Green Bay going 13-3 the previous year under Brett Favre, and making it all the way to overtime in the NFC Championship Game, they were ready to commit to their top draft pick in ’05, the future face of the franchise.  Things did not go swimmingly in 2008 though, not that it was Rodgers fault.  He guided the fifth-highest scoring offense in the league in just his first year as starter, finishing fourth among quarterbacks in passing yards (4,038) and touchdown passes (28).  But with a defense ranked 22^nd in points allowed, the Packers fell flat after a 5-5 start, finishing at 6-10.

Rodgers threw for 13 interceptions in ’08, but showed exquisite skills as a student of the game.  In 2009, that number dropped to seven.  His 1.3% interception rate tied, ironically, Minnesota’s Brett Favre for best in the NFL.  Aaron Rodgers would also finish fourth again in both passing yards (4,434) and touchdown passes (30).  An improved offense, and a significantly improved defense, helped resurrect the Packers to a Wild Card berth at 11-5.  With an opportunity to show the Packer faithful that they need not miss Brett Favre, Rodgers was exceptional in his first career postseason appearance.  He would account for 436 total yards, five touchdowns, and an interception.  He needed to have a game like that, because in the end every point would count.  Deadlocked in a 45-45 tie (that score is not a typo) to start overtime against Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals, Rodgers would be sacked, the ball stripped and returned for a touchdown.  Despite a glorious first stab at a playoff start, Rodgers and the Packers would fall to the Cards, 51-45.

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

The 2010 Green Bay Packers would again claim a Wild Card spot, thanks greatly to Rodgers’ 101.2 passer rating, third-best in the league.  The Pack would go 10-6 and host Philadelphia to kick off the postseason.  Green Bay managed to distance themselves from the Eagles early, led by Michael Vick who was the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to win on the road at Lambeau Field.  A fourth quarter Philly comeback was halted and G.B. held on 21-16.  Rodgers was super-efficient, going 18-for-27 for 180 yards, with three TDs and a lost fumble.  But that was nothing…

The following week in Atlanta, he would destroy the Falcons with a 31-for-36 performance, putting up 379 total yards, four TDs, and no turnovers in the 48-21 blowout.  The following week, in the NFC Championship Game, Green Bay would continue the oldest rivalry in the NFL, heading to Chicago to face the division-winning Bears.  The Packers would build a 14-0 lead on their rivals after three quarters.  Chicago’s QB, Jay Cutler, would then leave the game with injury, and back-up Caleb Hanie battled to get his team back in the game.  But a pick-six by Green Bay defensive back B.J. Raji would seal the victory and the Super Bowl berth.  The Packers’ quarterback wouldn’t play flawlessly, throwing two INTs, but helped the cause with 283 total yards and a rushing touchdown.

Super Bowl XLV pitted Green Bay against the Pittsburgh Steelers, winners of two of the past five Super Bowls, and the man under Center who led them to those wins in Ben Roethlisberger.  But it was the Packers who jumped out to a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes, thanks to an Aaron Rodgers TD pass and a pick-six by Nick Collins.  Throughout the game, Pitt played from behind, with Rodgers always keeping his team two scores ahead: 14-0, then 21-3, then 28-17.  With 7:40 to play, the Steelers managed to cut it to 28-25, giving the ball to Rodgers once more to see if he could keep it out of Roethlisberger’s hands.  He would take his team on a nine-play drive, killing five-and-a-half minutes off the clock and converting a critical third-and-10 via a 31-yard pass to Greg Jennings.  Mason Crosby would boot home a 23-yarder to put G.B. up 31-25 with two minutes to play.  The Packers’ D then stood tall, forcing the turnover on downs.  The clock struck zeroes after two kneel-downs, and the Packers would walk off the field with the fourth Lombard Trophy for “Titletown”.  In throwing for 304 yards, three TDs, and no turnovers, Aaron Rodgers was named the game’s MVP.

So, it was settled, the Packers could win with Rodgers under Center.  Now, could he do something really special?  In winning the 2011 NFL MVP award, he would set a single-season NFL record with a 122.5 passer rating.  He would lead the league in yards per attempt as well (9.2), and finish second in completion percentage (68.3%), TD passes (45), and interception rate (1.2%).  The Packers would go 15-1, on an seemingly unstoppable march toward their second straight Super Bowl.  Then, in the Divisional Round, they were suddenly very stoppable.  Facing a N.Y. Giants team that had gone just 9-7 during the regular season, Green Bay’s suspect defense (19^th in the league) was exposed.  The G-Men would put up 425 yards of offense, while the Packers offense just could not catch up.  Rodgers would manage 264 yards by air, and another 66 by foot, scoring two touchdowns.  But he also threw a pick, and lost a fumble.  Meanwhile, his team lost a stunner, 37-20.  The Giants’ surprises would continue, as they managed to upset the New England Patriots for the second time in five years, winning Super Bowl XLVI 21-17.

To expect Aaron Rodgers to match his output from the previous season would have been unfair, if not impossible, coming into 2012.  But the man still continued to put up incredible numbers, again leading the league in passer rating (108.0).  He would also have the best TD rate in the league (7.1%), and finish third in both completion percentage (67.2%) and INT rate (1.4%).  Green Bay would win the NFC Central at 11-5 and host division rivals Minnesota in the Wild Card Round.  The Packers’ much-improved defense held the Vikes without a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, as Green Bay prevailed 24-10.  Rodgers would be error-free on the day, putting up 286 total yards, a TD, and no turnovers.  In the Divisional Round, he would head to the Bay Area to face the team that passed on him in the NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers.  He would play great, but his defense would not.  Despite 285 yards of offense, two touchdowns, and a lone interception, the Niners would cream the Pack 45-31 on their way to Super Bowl XLVII.

After getting Green Bay off to a 5-2 start in 2013, Rodgers would go down with the first significant injury of his pro career.  A broken collarbone would cost him eight games.  In his absence, the team would go 2-5-1.  But he came back in Week 17, with the NFC North crown on the line, at Chicago.  Down 28-27 with 45 seconds left, and facing fourth-and-8, Rodgers would exact sweet revenge against the team that knocked him out for half the season, connecting on a 48-yard TD pass to Randall Cobb, eliminating the Bears.  As they had won the division, Green Bay got to host the Wild Card 12-4 San Francisco 49ers.  Flawed as they were, the Pack hung in there, tying the game at 20 apiece with five minutes to play.  But Colin Kaepernick would drive the Niners 65 yards, resulting in a last-second 33-yard field goal by Phil “Awesome” Dawson, to eliminate the Packers 23-20.

Simon Bruty/SI/The MMQB

Aaron Rodgers bounced back exceptionally in 2014.  His 112.2 passer rating was second among QBs, as was his 7.3% touchdown rate.  Meanwhile, his rate of throwing only one interception every 100 passes was the best the league had to offer.  Green Bay would go 12-4, and their signal caller would win his second MVP in four years.  In the Divisional Round, the Pack would host the 12-4 Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo, the only player that year to surpass Rodgers in both TD rate and passer rating.  The two well-matched teams battled.  Two second half TD throws from Rodgers would put Green Bay up 26-21 with nine minutes to play.  On fourth-and-2 with less than five minutes to play, Romo would hit Dez Bryant on a bomb that seemed to put Dallas on the Packers’ one-yard line.  But the catch was overturned on review.  The Packers took over and milked the clock until it expired, holding on to the 26-21 win.

One game away from the Super Bowl, Green Bay headed to Seattle to face Russell Wilson and the defending NFL champs.  Rodgers, the NFL MVP, came ready. He helped put the Pack up 16-0 at the Half, aided by three Mason Crosby field goals.  With just over two minutes to play, and leading 19-7, a Green Bay return to the Big Game seemed inevitable.  But after a Russell Wilson touchdown run cut it to 19-14, Seattle recovered the onside kick.  They managed to stun the G.B. defense, scoring only four plays later to go up 22-19 with just over 90 ticks left on the clock.  It seemed as though the Packers had blown it.  Enter Aaron Rodgers.  From his team’s 22, he got the offense to go 48 yards in just six plays, ending in a 48-yard field goal and sending the epic to overtime.  But in overtime, facing a third-and-7, Wilson would hit Doug Baldwin for 35 yards to get to Green Bay’s 35.  The next play, Wilson found Jermaine Kearse who brought it 35 more yards to the house.  Seattle would win in a comeback for the ages, 28-22.

The 2015 season was a strange one for the Packers.  They would start out 6-0.  Then they would lose four of five.  Then, they won three straight, before finishing the year with two losses.  That’s a weird way to get to a 10-6 year.  It was a surprising down year for Aaron Rodgers, or at least as much of a “down year” as the man can have.  His 92.7 passer rating was only good enough for 15^th in the league, although he would finish with the second-best INT rate in the NFL at 1.4%.  In the Wild Card Round, Green Bay would fall behind 11-0 early in the second quarter, before pulling away to a 35-18 win.  It was another solid postseason performance for Rodgers, with no turnovers, one TD pass, and 210 yards in the air.

The following week, the Packers found themselves down 20-13 with less than two minutes to play at Arizona.  The Cardinals D seemingly had Rodgers figured out on the last drive, pinning the Packers to their own 4-yard line and facing a fourth-and-20.  So, Rodgers simply hit Jeff Janis for a 60-yard bomb to get it to the Arizona 36.  After two incompletions, Green Bay needed a miracle.  And on the last play of regulation, Rodgers heaved the ball 41 yards into the end zone… and into the hands of Janis, sending the game into overtime.  The celebration was short-lived however.  On the first play of OT, Carson Palmer would strike for 75 yards to Larry Fitzgerald.  Two plays later, Palmer would find Fitzgerald in the end zone, ending the game 26-20.  In another gut-punch of a playoff loss, Rodgers would finish with 282 yards of offense, two touchdowns, and an interception.

The Green Bay Packers would win the NFC North in 2016 at 10-6.  Their quarterback was much-improved from the previous season, leading the NFL with 40 touchdown passes, and finishing fourth in passing yards with 4,428.  A successful 42-yard Hail Mary in the Wild Card game (seriously, how many of those does Rodgers have in his career!?) to end the first Half put Green Bay ahead 14-6 against the Giants.  The Packers would pull away late in the third period and win 38-13.  Rodgers pitched a masterpiece with 362 yards passing, four TDs, and no turnovers in the win.

The following week was a test in front of 93,000 fans in Arlington, Texas.  Up 28-13 in the fourth, the Packers were rocked by two Dak Prescott touchdown passes, tying the game at 28.  With four minutes to play, Rodgers would get his team to the Dallas 38, where Mason Crosby kicked the potential game-winner from 56.  But then on five plays in just 53 seconds, Prescott would take Dallas to Green Bay’s 33, where Dan Bailey would tie it up from 52.  But the Packers had 35 seconds, and they had two timeouts, and they had Aaron Rodgers.  On a third-and-20 from his own 32, Rodgers would find tight end Jared Cook for 36 yards, getting to the Cowboys’ 32.  From there, Mason Crosby sank the game-winning 51-yards to get the Pack to the NFC Championship Game, 34-31.  Rodgers was brilliant again, with 371 total yards, two TDs, and a lone pick.

The NFC Championship Game was a disaster for Green Bay though.  Facing NFL MVP Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome, they would fall behind 31-0 early in the second half.  Rodgers would try to get his team back in the game, but every score was met with a reply by the Birds.  When the dust had settled, Atlanta had won the NFC easily, 44-21.  Rodgers’ 333 yards, three touchdowns, and solitary interception were not enough to overcome an exemplary five-touchdown performance by Matt Ryan.

Kamil Krzaczynski/UPI

The 2017 and 2018 seasons were additional disasters on top of the 2016 NFC Championship massacre.  A 4-1 start would disintegrate after Rodgers was knocked out for the year in Week 6 against Minnesota with a broken collarbone.  Green Bay would only win thrice more in 2017, finishing 7-9.  Then in 2018, a healthy Aaron Rodgers would set a single-season NFL record with a 0.3% interception rate, throwing only two INTs on 597 pass attempts.  He would also throw for over 4,400 yards and 25 touchdowns.  But all was not well on the sidelines between Rodgers and Head Coach Mike McCarthy, the man who had coached them to a Super Bowl XLV win.  A 4-7-1 start resulted in McCarthy’s sacking, with Offensive Coordinator Joe Philbin finishing the season at 2-2.  The 6-9-1 record meant that, for the first time since his full season as a starter, Rodgers would not be playing in the postseason (excluding injury-ending 2017 campaign).  

But 2019 would be a return to prominence, with Rodgers leading the Packers a 13-3 record and the #2 seed in the NFC. He was nearly error-free, leading the NFL with another logic-defying 0.7% interception rate (only four picks in 569 pass attempts). The postseason started swimmingly as Aaron Rodgers threw for 243 yards and two TDs (with no turnovers) in a 28-23 win over Seattle. But the season would end a game short of the Super Bowl. Hosts San Francisco would build a 27-0 halftime lead, forcing Rodgers and the Packers offense to play catch-up the entire game. While he would throw for 326 yards and two TDs, Rodgers would shockingly turn the ball over three times, including two picks, as the 49ers moved on to Super Bowl LIV via a 37-20 final score.

After a successful 2019, Aaron Rodgers would attempt to stake his claim as the game’s best in 2020. In winning his third league MVP, he led the NFL in completion percentage (70.7%), TD passes (48), INT rate (1.0%), and passer rating (121.5). The 13-3 Packers took the top seed in the NFC and overcame a late charge from the Rams in the Divisional Round, 32-18. The league MVP threw for 296 yards, scored three touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over. The NFC Championship game was a different story however. Green Bay never pulled ahead of Tampa Bay, falling 31-26. And although Aaron Rodgers’ stats were exemplary (346 yards passing and three TDs), it was a late first-half intercepted that haunted him and the Pack, as the Bucs turned it into seven points with one second left in the Half.

Aaron Rodgers battled controversy, and more controversy, and other than taking one regular season game off his plate it barely put a dent in his production. The NFL’s MVP for the second straight year, he put the league’s best TD rate (7.0%), INT rate (0.8%), and QB rating (111.9). With the best record in the NFL at 13-4, and hosting a San Francisco in snowy conditions in the Divisional Round, the Packers seemed poised to easily advance to the NFC Championship Game. However, the Niners defense begged to differ. Limiting the league MVP to just 225 yards and no touchdowns, S.F. upset Green Bay 13-10 to half the Pack’s dreams of a ending a decade-long Super Bowl drought.

Coming of back-to-back MVP awards, there was no reason to think Aaron Rodgers wouldn’t be vying for another in 2022. Instead, he had debatably the worst season of his storied career. Although it was hardly a bad year, Rodgers failed to throw for 4,000 for the first time in a full season since 2015. He also threw 12 INTs, the most he’s thrown in a single season since his first full year of 2008. His inconsistency cost the Packers as they finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs.

Aaron Rodgers has four MVPs and a Super Bowl ring.  He’s been brilliant in the regular season, and he’s been mostly brilliant in the postseason.  He’s a proven winner who somehow finds ways to come out on top.  And yet, he’s 0-4 in NFC Championship Games since his Super Bowl win.  Furthermore, he’s lost playoff game after playoff game in crushing fashion.  It’s hard to believe that winning only one Super Bowl can be a black mark on a guy, but with everything Rodgers has accomplished, it seems like he’s been due for so much more.  Even if he never wins another Super Bowl, his place in the annals of football history is secure.  He’s one of the game’s most dependable players.  His interceptions are so rare, it’s almost surreal when they do happen.  And he’s one of the most amazing comeback artists of the sport’s history, whether his efforts actually result in wins or not.  Ultimately, there’s just one unanswered question lingering in Aaron Rodgers illustrious career: will he win another Super Bowl?  We will just have to sit and watch.

 Chart

Season	W-L%	Tot Y/G	Tot TD/G	Tot TO/G	Y/C/Y/A	Cmp %	TD%	Int%
Reg Season	0.099	0.070	0.186	0.173	0.057	0.053	0.183	0.205
Playoffs	0.013	0.064	0.144	0.074	0.028	0.053	0.120	0.142

Longevity Bonus = 1.6                        Title Bonus = 1.0                    

Index Score = 8.384 (average QB = 0.0)

Deviation Rank (out of 155)

Season	W-L%	Tot Y/G	Tot TD/G	Tot TO/G	Y/C/Y/A	Cmp %	TD%	Int%
Reg Season	9th	11th	1st	2nd	22nd	30th	1st	1st
Playoffs	45th	24th	16th	52nd	48th	35th	20th	23rd

Why is he on the Top 10 list?

Aaron Rodgers’ regular season numbers are absolutely insane.  Compared to his era, Rodgers is in the Top 10 in five of eight categories, but even more impressively, he’s #1 in three of them.  Nobody has ever been better at sniffing out a touchdown during the regular season than Rodgers.  He’s #1 in both total touchdowns per game, as well as touchdowns per pass attempt.  But he doesn’t make mistakes either, finishing #1 in terms of interceptions per attempt and #2 in total turnovers per game as well.  Rodgers is also #9 in win-loss percentage.  The only area in which he does not make the Top 25 in the regular season is completion percentage, and even then, he’s still #30.

In the postseason, he’s still outstanding, just not as incredible as in the regular season.  For the playoffs, he’s a Top 25 guy in four categories, topping off at #16 in total touchdowns per game.  In fact he sneaks into the Top 50 in every category except total turnovers per game, and even then he’s #52.  Rodgers gets a bonus point to his index score for winning a Super Bowl, and another 1.5 for being Green Bay’s primary starter for 13 seasons through 2021.